


Tumblr requests

by popnographic



Series: Rarepair drabbles [4]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Angst, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 19:11:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 115
Words: 180,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popnographic/pseuds/popnographic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Requests I receive on <a href="http://popnographic.tk">Tumblr</a>! Pairings are <b>SouHaru</b>, <b>MakoRin</b> and <b>MakoRei</b>.</p><p>Chapters 1, 3, 7, 11, 15, 21, (29), 31, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 112, 113, 114, 115: SouHaru<br/>Chapters 2, 5, 9, 10, 13, 16, 25, 26, 30, 32, 35, 39, 43, 48, 53, 68, 79, 83, 84, 101, 111: MakoRei<br/>Chapters 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31, 33, 34, 37, 41, 45, (55), 57, 58, 59, 62, 72, 73, 91, 93, 99, 108, 110: MakoRin</p><p>
  <b>FINISHED.</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. SouHaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "So you're the asshole single parent who keeps taking up two parking spaces during daytime, but dang it you're actually super hot, and oh no our kids are best friends."**
> 
> Asked by: [ryugazaki-rin](http://ryugazaki-rin.tumblr.com/)

“Takumi, come  _on —_ we’ll be late!” Sousuke yells back into the apartment. He hears a vague response in the hallway and sighs whilst rubbing the bridge of his nose with a frown. His son isn’t the quickest to get ready when they have to go out, and it has, on several occasions, led to them being late to things like school, PTA meetings and playdates.

Soon enough, a dark-brown head pops out through the door opening. “Sorry, Dad”, Takumi says with an apologetic grin. Sousuke furrows his eyebrows even further.

“You should be glad I’m willing to drive you to school and not let you take the school bus”, he says with a warning tone.

When he’s dropped Takumi off at school, Sousuke continues to work. It’s not that far of a drive, thankfully, but the traffic this morning is atrocious, and results in him being in a bad mood all day.

So when he comes back home and sees that the asshole who can’t park worth a crap has once again parked over  _two_  parking spaces has done it again, he almost bristles. Of course, the only available spot is what’s left of the one right next to one of those the idiot has parked over.

Having somewhat successfully squeezed his Toyota into said space, Sousuke gets out and lets out a silent string of cuss words. He has to make sure to do it before Takumi gets home; as much as he’s known for having a foul mouth, he definitely doesn’t want it to pass onto his son.

As he’s about to leave the car park, someone walks out of the apartment complex he lives in, and walks towards the car parked over two spaces. Sousuke finds himself freezing in place, just to see who this person is.

It’s a man of normal height, he has ridiculously black hair and  _man_ , he’s hot. Sousuke swallows hard. The summer heat isn’t really helping his case, now that he’s starting to sweat for a completely different reason. He  _has_  to talk to the guy. And now that he knows that this is a guy who probably got his driver’s licence in the cornflakes box, he has another reason to talk to him.

“So you’re the guy who keeps parking over two spaces”, he says as he walks over. He can’t really believe he’s actually doing this, that he’s taking the time out of his day to talk to a stranger because he’s hot— 

No. He’s there to talk to the guy because he’s parking over  _two fucking parking spaces_. Who does that? This guy, apparently. And for what reason? His car isn’t even that big, it’s about the same size as the one Sousuke drives, and he fits into one space just fine.

The other man takes notice of him and looks back at his car. He seems to not quite understand what Sousuke just said, and he wants to laugh. Does this guy seriously not know he’s been parking over two spaces every goddamn day for months? In a way, Sousuke’s surprised that this is the first time he sees him, considering it’s been going on for so long.

“Sorry. Did you want me to move?” the man asks calmly, as if he’s not actually sorry for what he’s been systematically doing wrong for two months. Sousuke has to fight back the urge to yell the man right in his face, and he inhales slowly.

“Well, yeah”, he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world. And it is, or it at least  _should_  be. “You’re taking up two spaces. You don’t even have a big car. What, you can’t park?”

The man looks puzzled yet again as he looks back and forth between Sousuke’s car and his own. “I think it’s pretty obvious that I’ve just parked my car. Doesn’t that prove I  _can_  park?”

“ _But you’re parked over two spaces!_ ” Sousuke exclaims, his hands shooting out in an almost helpless gesture. This guy really  _is_  an idiot, and an insanely hot one, at that. How did someone like him pass both the theory and driving test?

 _He must’ve bribed the people at the DMV_ , Sousuke thinks. There’s no other way someone like him has a driver’s licence and has the right to drive  — and park!  — a car.

The man sighs in annoyance and rolls his eyes. “Sure, I’ll move. Didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

Before Sousuke has a chance to continue practically yelling at the man, he gets into his car, starts it and begins to drive out. Sousuke stands by on the sidewalk to watch the man drive out, wriggle about for a bit, and then park pretty much in the same spot he was from the beginning.

When the raven-haired man gets out again, Sousuke is beyond fury and flames. “You’ve got to be kidding me”, he says. “Someone needs to teach you to drive.”

“Teach me, then, if you think you’re that much better”, the other man replies stubbornly, and Sousuke snorts. He doesn’t want to toot his own horn — although he kind of does — but he considers himself to be a pretty good driver. Even Rin does, and he’s picky when it comes to whose car he decides to carpool in.

Sousuke’s just about to shoot off a snarky comment along the lines of “oh, you’d want that, wouldn’t you”, but then a kid yells out “ _Dad!”_ , and the other man turns his head.

Two kids approach them, and to Sousuke’s horror and surprise, he recognises one of them as his own. “Takumi?” he says, and now the man looks at him in surprise.

“This is your son?” the man asks. Sousuke nods, dumbfounded.

“Dad, this is Yuu”, Takumi says, and the other boy nods curtly in acknowledgement. “His full name is Yuuichirou, but everyone calls him Yuu. Right, Nanase-san?”

“They do. He doesn’t like it when people call him by his full name. Just like his father.” He sniffs out a little laugh, and then he turns to face Sousuke again. “Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Nanase Haruka. But… call me Haru.”

Sousuke looks at the outstretched hand, still in deep shock, and it takes him a few seconds to regain his senses and shake said hand. “You’re right, we haven’t. Yamazaki Sousuke.”

“So you’re going to teach me how to park, Yamazaki?” Haru says, completely skipping out on the formalities. It makes Sousuke feel a little better, because he’s not too big on formalities, either.

“It seems like I have to, because who else is going to? And how long have you had your licence?”

Haru raises his eyebrows and gives Sousuke an incredulous look. “Eleven years.”

“Are you  _serious_?!”

“Hey, Dad — can we go inside?” Yuu says, interrupting their bickering. Sousuke catches himself, and he clears his throat. Nanase just smiles, and it’s a smile that makes Sousuke’s knees feel like jelly.

“Of course. Well, I would love to take you up on that offer. Do you want to come up for tea? Or maybe you’re a coffee person? It seems our sons are going to be playing for a while, anyway, so I figured… if you’re not busy…”

Sousuke might not like this guy’s guts when it comes to driving, and he already seems like one of the most stubborn people Sousuke’s ever met. But at the same time, he’s intrigued by this strange guy with the ugly, dark-grey Nissan.

“Sure, that’d be great”, he says, and follows the man up to their apartment, his son pestering him with questions about his first meeting with the man named Nanase Haruka.


	2. MakoRei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "MakoRei and lazy romantic evening after a long day"**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rei walks inside with a long, dragged-out groan. His feet hurt, and he’s pretty sure his legs are going to be at least a little bit sore in the morning. Which is weird, because he’s been used to the daily exercise in the pool for so long now, but walking is completely different. Especially in those shoes of his that he _really_  should get replaced.

While Makoto’s in the shower, Rei turns on the fan in the living room and plops down by the kotatsu with a sigh of relief. It isn’t as if he hasn’t enjoyed their day out around town  _—_  he definitely has  _—_  but it’s nice to be back home and sitting down again.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, both of them have showered, and Rei walks into the living room again, wearing a pair of loose shorts and a big t-shirt. Makoto’s half-watching TV, but from what Rei can see, there isn’t anything remotely interesting to watch.

He sits down in his usual spot between Makoto’s legs, and soon enough, two arms embrace him from behind. Makoto nuzzles his nose into Rei’s still wet hair, and Rei can’t help but giggle.

“That tickles.”

“Sorry. Do you want something; water, maybe?”

Rei tilts his head back and receives a kiss on his forehead. “Water would be nice. Thank you.”

He leans forward to let Makoto get up from the floor, and he takes the TV remote in his hand to flip through the channels once more, just to see if maybe they missed something they might be interested in watching.

“Finding anything?” Makoto asks, coming back with two bottles of water.

“Thank you”, Rei says again as he takes one of the bottles from Makoto’s hands. The condensed water on the bottle quickly runs down his hands, and he wipes them off on his shorts before setting his bottle down. “And no, I can’t find anything that catches my attention.”

“Maybe we should just turn it off”, the brunet suggests, and Rei does. The silence that follows is nice, and it doesn’t bother him at all. He’s been around noise and the bustle of big crowds all day, so this is a nice change.

Once again seated in their previous position, Rei leans his head back against Makoto’s chest, and the other starts slowly running his fingers through his hair. It’s a calming gesture that makes Rei sleepy, but he knows he can’t sleep just yet  _—_ they haven’t even had dinner. Speaking of which…

“We forgot to shop ingredients for dinner”, he says.

“Oh”, Makoto replies slowly, but then laughs. “That’s fine. Let’s just order takeout, I don’t wanna cook, anyway.”

Normally, Rei would be against the idea of them spending money frivolously on takeout when they can cook at home and still have leftovers. Today, however, he is of a different opinion, and agrees to ordering food home.

When they’re both full, they still don’t move from their cuddle-pile by the kotatsu. The sun is just about to set outside, and it casts an orange light over the living room.

Their day had been beautiful in many different ways, and it had certainly been one of the best days in a while for Rei. Even though he knows his feet and legs are going to hurt the next day, at least he knows it will have been worth it.

“Rei…”

The pleading voice behind him sends shivers down Rei’s spine, and he turns his head half around. Makoto’s lips meet his for a moment, and he almost feels light-headed.

Two hands slowly run down his sides, and he takes it as a sign to turn around completely. Makoto lifts him up and places Rei in his lap, which makes Rei flush red.

“This is embarrassing”, he whines, and Makoto smiles against his lips before going in for another kiss.

“Why?”

Why, indeed? It’s just the two of them in the apartment, but maybe it’s because they’re not in the bedroom when initiating things like these. He feels like they’re still out in the open like this, and that it isn’t appropriate to do this in a living room.

“It’s just _—_  no, it’s nothing”, he says, deciding to push his probably unnecessary thoughts away. Instead, he puts their foreheads together and smiles. “Thank you for today. I really enjoyed it.”

“Oh, thank  _you_ , Rei. And I did, too. We should do this more often. Even if it means just watching TV or cooking together.”

Rei agrees. They do hang out a lot since they live together, but not quite like this. And it’s something they need to do more, to treasure the time they have together. If it’s anything Rei is thankful for, it’s being with Makoto.

“Rei?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

He ducks his head and puts his forehead against Makoto’s shoulder, the blush coming back with a vengeance. “I love you, too.”

 _Definitely one of the best days in a long time_ , he thinks, but doesn’t say.


	3. SouHaru #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "Haru ends up growing out his hair because it makes him feel like a mermaid and Sousuke totally does not think it's hot."**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

His hair tickles his neck and graces Sousuke’s back when he leans down to kiss it. The other turns his head halfway, and the frown on his face spells out disgust.

“When are you going to get rid of that goddamn hair of yours?”

Haru blinks, confused. “Why should I? What, do you want me to  _shave_  it?”

“No! It’s just… ugh.” Sousuke motions for Haru to get off his back so he can lie down properly. When he does, Haru doesn’t waste a second and lies down with his head resting on Sousuke’s chest.

“It’s just what?” Haru prompts, and Sousuke sighs in annoyance.

“Don’t you think it gets in your way? When you swim and whatever?”

“And when we have sex?”

Sousuke’s eyes widen at the blunt remark. He should’ve gotten used to this by now, gotten used to the fact that Haruka isn’t one to tiptoe around issues and things in general. He’s a blunt man, and in a way, Sousuke’s glad for it.

“That’s— not the point”, he splutters, ears suddenly burning, and Haru snorts. “Anyway. Why the sudden change of mind?”

“It makes me feel like a mermaid.”

Sousuke looks at his boyfriend incredulously, waiting for the ‘ha, just kidding!’, but it never comes. “A  _mermaid_? Why would you want to look like a mermaid?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Have you  _seen_ mermaids?”

“Mermaids aren’t real, Haruka!” Sousuke sighs exasperatedly and slaps a hand across his forehead.

Some days, Haruka’s truly testing his patience. For the most part, thankfully, things are peaceful and not at all stormy. It’s nice; exactly what Sousuke seeks in a relationship. Not a lot of effort and the ability to just be around each other without having to do anything extravagant.

This, however, has to be on the top of extravagance.

“That’s just because you’ve never seen one”, Haru retorts, and he pouts.

“Have you?” Sousuke asks, even though he already knows the answer to that question. Because  _mermaids aren’t real and they don’t exist_. If only he could convince his boyfriend of this.

“No, but that’s beside the point.”

“Yes, it is, you’re right. You should get rid of that long hair, because it’s impractical, and it doesn’t suit you.”

“Makoto likes it.”

“And since when do you care about what others think?”

“I don’t. Which means I don’t care what you think, either.”

 _God, he’s such a child_ , Sousuke thinks to himself. But then, a certain redhead flashes through his mind, and he grins. “You know, you kind of remind me of Rin. Especially if you tie it up in a ponytail like he does.”

Haru winces.

 

* * *

 

Haru ends up getting his hair cut the next Monday, looking just as he used to. Sousuke quietly celebrates one of his very few victories over Haruka, and Rin never finds out the reason behind Haru deciding to give up his dream of getting one step closer to looking like a mermaid.


	4. MakoRin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "MakoRin + Makoto helping Rin through Father's Day".**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous.

When they wake up that morning, everything seems fine. Makoto wakes up to the usual kiss on the forehead, which is followed by a murmured “good morning, sleepyhead”, and before he even has time to open his eyes, Rin is gone.

This isn’t anything new, so it doesn’t worry Makoto that Rin isn’t there when he gets out of bed. Rin is more of an early bird than he is, even on weekends. But it doesn’t take long for Makoto to realise what day it is, and  _that’s_  when he gets worried.

He walks out into the kitchen. There are signs that someone’s been in there, as there’s breakfast already served on the table, but it’s otherwise empty, so he continues out into the living room. Sure enough, Rin is sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket, and he’s staring out the window.

Makoto settles down on the couch next to his boyfriend and kisses him on the top of his head. “Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?”

There’s no response, and Makoto wonders why he even expected one. The look on Rin’s face makes Makoto’s heart ache. He has no idea what Rin is going through, because he hasn’t lost a family member, but he still wants to do his best to be there for his boyfriend.

So he gets up from the couch and brings them the breakfast Rin had prepared. He sets the tray down on his lap, and picks up a piece of the omelette. “Rin, you have to eat something. Here.”

Rin’s vacant eyes land on the omelette, but he still doesn’t seem intent on eating it. He shrugs. “Not hungry.”

Makoto swallows a sigh and puts the tray down on the table in front of them. He brings an arm around Rin’s shoulders, and the other tenses up at first, but soon relaxes with a slow exhale.

“You know what I think we should do?” He waits for even the slightest bit of response, and after a few seconds, Rin shrugs again. “We should go visit your father’s grave.”

The redhead flinches. “Why?”

“Because it’s… Father’s Day. I think it would be very fitting if we—”

“But he’s  _dead_ , Makoto. He wouldn’t be able to appreciate us going to see him, since he won’t even see us. He’s not here anymore, there’s no point.”

This is exactly what Makoto had feared. Rin building up his emotional walls again, shutting everyone out and sitting all by himself on the inside. Well, him and his negative thoughts.

“There  _is_  a point to it, though”, Makoto continues gently. “I think it could be good for you to just go there and visit his grave. Talk to him. Even if he’s… not physically there, you can still talk to him. I’m sure he’ll hear you, and that he’s watching over you.”

Rin finally turns his head for his eyes to meet Makoto’s, and the look in his eyes is one Makoto  _definitely_  didn’t expect. “You think so?” he asks, his voice barely audible. Makoto nods.

“Yeah. And I’ll be there with you in case things get a little tough. I think Toraichi-san would appreciate it.”

 

* * *

 

The sun is high in the sky, and the wind feels good in Makoto’s hair. He and Rin are walking side by side, without saying a word, up the hill to where Toraichi’s gravestone is.

It feels a little weird, and almost like Makoto’s not supposed to be here. It has to be very personal for Rin to bring someone up here who isn’t family, and while Makoto had been the one to suggest it, he’s glad Rin didn’t protest.

Rin’s footsteps slow down, and suddenly, the tall gravestone is right in front of them. The dark-grey, almost black, gravestone is engraved with gold letters, stating the family name, the first name, and the date he was born and later deceased.

The grave looks elegant, but at the same time, sad. Sad, because the grave belongs to a man who was taken from his wife and children far, far too soon.

Makoto glances at Rin by his side. “Do you… want me to leave you alone for a bit?”

“No”, comes Rin’s almost immediate reply. “I want you here. With me.”

“Okay.”

Silence falls between them again. Makoto watches the scenery around them; the leaves and branches of the trees moving with the wind, the waves coming in and going out again down at the beach below. It’s very peaceful, and fitting for the current, solemn mood.

To try and help Rin along, Makoto puts his hands behind his back and bows in front of the grave. “Hello, Toraichi-san, it’s been a while. I hope you don’t mind me being here today.”

Rin looks at him, and Makoto feels like he should be embarrassed, but he isn’t. Maybe it’s something about the circumstances, the environment, and the fact that this is a day dedicated to fathers, whether they’re related to you by blood or not.

Rin takes a deep breath. “Hey, Dad. This… ah, this feels dumb. Talking to you as if you’re here, when you’re not. I don’t know where you ended up, but I hope you’re okay. I hope… you managed to find peace, even though you weren’t… able to fulfil your dream.”

His voice goes a little thick near the end, and Makoto grasps his hand for support, for comfort and to tell Rin that he’s there, that he’s not going anywhere. It’s a promise in the gesture of a hand-holding, and he hopes he’ll be able to still convey his message through it.

“I wanted to fulfil your dream first”, Rin continues after collecting himself. “But then I realised that it probably isn’t what you would’ve wanted for me. I know you probably want me to have my own dream, to go my own path. So I am. My dream is right here, with me.”

When Rin squeezes his hand, Makoto feels his heart skip a beat. He swallows hard to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. “Rin…”

“It’s true, Makoto”, Rin assures him. “I learnt that you can find new hopes and dreams, and it’s all thanks to you. I found something I could make into my own dream and goal, and that is to make you happy and be by your side.”

Rin’s confession almost takes Makoto’s breath away, and he squeezes Rin’s hand back. “I’m glad. Thank you, Rin.”

 

* * *

 

That night when Rin gets into bed, he lets his head rest in the crook of Makoto’s neck, and Makoto embraces him with one arm. It’s completely silent in the room aside from the soft hum of their ceiling fan, and darkness has started to fall outside.

It’s been an emotionally heavy day, but Makoto still hopes Rin found it a little more bearable thanks to that visit to his father’s grave. Makoto himself finds that it had been a nice experience, even though it was emotional, and he feels like it’s one of those things that brought him and Rin even closer.

“Hey, Makoto”, Rin murmurs, and Makoto looks down.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for today. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would’ve stayed inside and moped all day.”

Makoto smiles a little. He brings his free hand up to run his fingers through RIn’s hair. “Do you feel better now?”

“I do. I’m glad we did that. And I— I think Dad’s glad, too. That we came to see him.”

Exhaling slowly, Makoto smiles. “Yeah. I think so, too.”


	5. MakoRei #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (whispers) _this prompt is smut-tastic_
> 
>  
> 
> **PROMPT: "Sex in the car"**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

They were only meant to go stargazing, lying on their backs on top of the hood of the car and Rei as always pointing out the different constellations whilst Makoto just laughs and looks at him with sheer affection in his eyes.

So why on earth are they in the back of Makoto’s car making out?

Not to be misunderstood, though — Rei definitely doesn’t mind the way Makoto’s lips are trailing kisses down his neck, along his collarbones. How his fingers are unbuttoning Rei’s shirt and his hands soon roaming all over the younger man’s body.

When his trousers are off and Makoto’s fingers are wrapped around his length, Rei finds himself gasping for air, moaning, wanting to open a window. Of course, that’s not going to happen; what if someone walks past them? They’ve parked in a rather secluded place, sure, but that doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed privacy for as long as they’re there.

And judging by how things are going right now, it seems they’ll be there for quite some time.

“Are you comfortable?” Makoto suddenly asks.

“I… yes. Why?”

“Just wondering. Do you want me to go further?”

It takes him a second to realise what Makoto means by that, and when he does, Rei’s face heats up. “Yes”, he whispers, and Makoto nods.

The brunet sits up straight and squeezes his upper body in between the two front seats. Seconds later, he comes back holding a little bottle of lube and a condom in one hand.

“Why do you have those  _there_?” Rei asks, and Makoto laughs a little.

“Always good to be prepared. Aren’t you glad, though?”

He is, but he doesn’t say it. His boyfriend can be surprisingly well-prepared even in the strangest situations, and Rei is pretty sure this counts as one of them.

 

* * *

 

A slick index finger prods at Rei’s entrance, and he separates his legs a little more despite the embarrassment that comes with it. It doesn’t take much preparation before Makoto’s able to easily slide one finger in and out. Rei craves more, and he’s glad he doesn’t have to verbally express his desires before Makoto adds a second digit.

With fingers curling and stretching inside of him, Rei rolls his head back and his eyes flutter shut, a breathless moan escaping his lips. After so many times of having sex over the past two years, Makoto’s figured out the exact way of how to please his boyfriend.

The two fingers inside him disappear before he has a chance to reach climax, and while Rei misses the sensation, he knows he’ll soon feel something a little different and far more pleasing as a replacement.

Rei opens his eyes just in time to see Makoto putting the condom on, and his boyfriend looks at him with a smile that makes him almost feel mortified. He should’ve just kept his eyes shut… but then he would’ve missed out on the beautiful sight in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

“I am.”

Makoto nods once and leans forward, slowly pushing in. The limited space gives Rei nearly no room to squirm about which he usually can do when they’re in a bed, so this position gives him quite a challenge which he isn’t too sure of how he’ll handle once they start actually having sex.

He still can’t believe they’re doing this in a  _car_ , of all places they could’ve chosen. There’s that constant thought of ‘what if someone walks by and hears or sees something’ that lingers in the back of his mind,

But for some reason, he also feels strangely turned on by the fact that they’re not completely in the clear. The sheer excitement of it all seems to spur him on, and it feels like Makoto may be of the same opinion.

When Makoto starts to move, Rei claws at the cushions below him for purchase, but not quite succeeding. It’s vastly different from being able to grip the sheets below him when they’re in a bed, that’s for sure.

“A—ah, Ma-Makoto”, Rei moans between sloppy, wet kisses that create a string of saliva between their lips. It’s definitely not a beautiful display, Rei is sure of it, but right now, he doesn’t care.

As they’re both nearing climax, Makoto speeds up, their moans blending in together in the unbearable heat of the car. Rei can’t wait until they get back home so he can take a cold shower, but most of all just to get out of that cramped car.

Makoto comes with a moan and what almost sounds like a sob muffled by Rei’s shoulder, and Rei comes not too long after whilst biting down on the joints of his fingers, tears rolling down his cheeks.

 

* * *

 

His boyfriend manages to somewhat get off of him, and Rei starts to get dressed again. It’s a little difficult, but he does it somehow, as well as Makoto. The latter opens the door to the car when he’s done getting dressed, and Rei takes in the fresh summer air streaming in.

When he’s only got his shirt left to get on, Rei gets out of the car and puts it on outside instead. Makoto’s sitting on the grass a few metres in front of the car, and when Rei’s done getting dressed, he joins his boyfriend, but lies down instead.

“That exhausted, huh?” Makoto asks, the wide grin on his face evident in his voice, too. Rei snorts and frowns.

“You’re awfully confident, huh.”

Makoto laughs. He lies down next to Rei and takes his hand, intertwining their fingers. “A little too cramped, maybe.”

“You’re telling me that  _now_?!”


	6. MakoRin #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "Makoto and Rin are teaching their daughter to swim for the first time, and she's afraid and clinging to Rin the whole time while Makoto tries to coax her into the water. When she finally gets in the water and actually swims, Rin can't stop crying because he's so proud."**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Satsuki looks down at the water, and she looks everything but confident. There’s a crease between her eyebrows and she’s biting down on her lower lip; Makoto figures she must be trying to be tougher than she actually is. It’s one of those things she’s picked up from her other father, Rin.

It almost makes him think of Kisumi’s brother Hayato, and when Makoto taught him to swim all those years ago. Hayato had a strong dislike and fear of being in the water in general, and at first, Makoto had been completely stumped as to how he was supposed to help the little boy.

Eventually — and he still doesn’t know why he hadn’t thought of this sooner — he figured he’d try teaching Hayato to swim on his back instead. It was one of the things that made Makoto himself less scared of the water, because it gave him the option to look up at the sky instead of down into the water.

“I’ll hold your hand all the way out into the water”, Rin offers in a gentle voice.

Satsuki, who pouts and looks down at the water like it’s her worst enemy, has been clinging to Rin ever since they decided they’d get into the ocean. Her arms are locked around the redhead’s neck, and it looks like it’ll be difficult to pry them off of him.

“But I’m scared, Daddy.”

Rin smiles, finding Satsuki’s worry a little endearing. “I know, but you don’t have to be. The water isn’t scary, and we’ll be here with you all the time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I won’t let you go. Promise.”

“Pinky promise.”

Rin smiles at their daughter, and Makoto can’t help but smile, too. The two of them interlock their pinky fingers, and then Satsuki lets Rin put her down and walk her into slightly deeper water.

Having recoiled as soon as her feet touched the water, Satsuki now seems to adjust pretty quickly. When the water is on level with her chest, she seems a little more comfortable than she did before she even got in, which has to be a good sign.

“Do you think it’ll be good from here?” Makoto asks, kneeling down beside his daughter. She still holds onto Rin’s hand tightly, probably still a little hesitant and scared. Makoto can’t blame her; he used to be the same with the ocean when he was younger.

Rin, on the other hand, is beyond excited about the thought of teaching their daughter to swim. Since it’s been a passion of his for as long as he can remember, he thinks it’d be great to pass this hobby onto her as well.

He also knows that he can’t force her into anything, and if he’s learnt anything from the past, it is that he definitely shouldn’t force his ideals and dreams onto others.

“Yeah”, Satsuki says, and she actually looks like she means it. Rin lets go of her hand and watches as Makoto begins to explain and demonstrate the basics of the breaststroke.

It reminds him of the time in their last year of high school when Makoto had taught the kids at ITSC, and how he’d taken a peek in through the window. Rin will never forget the sheer joy plastered all over Makoto’s face as he was teaching them, the beginning of what eventually ended up being Makoto’s current job.

 

* * *

 

“Stretch your arms out in front of you like this”, Makoto says and shows Satsuki by crouching down quite a bit and reaching his arms out in front of him. Rin has to hold back a laugh, because it looks so adorable with his huge husband trying to demonstrate a swimstroke in water that doesn’t even reach his thighs.

Satsuki mirrors her father’s motions, and then Makoto tells her what to do next, to not forget the legs as she starts to swim, tells her to relax, breathe. When she says she’s ready for the next step, Makoto places his hands under her belly to support her while she practices the strokes.

It looks a little wonky at first, but with Makoto’s careful and patient instructions, Satsuki soon enough learns how to properly do it. And then he slowly, slowly removes his hands from under Satsuki to give her a little push.

Rin’s eyes widen. He opens his mouth to exclaim something as Satsuki actually _swims_ , but Makoto quickly motions with an index finger over his mouth for him to keep it to himself. He realises it’s probably for the best, so he won’t unnecessarily scare or pressure Satsuki.

“Papa! Daddy!  _Look_! I’m doing it!”

“I am”, Makoto says, and the pride is evident in his tone. “Good job, Satsuki. See, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

“No. It’s fun!”

Rin swallows hard, but it’s too late for him already, as tears fall down his cheeks. “I’m so proud of you”, he sniffles. Makoto turns to him, and he laughs.

“Why are you  _crying_ , Rin?”

Furiously wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Rin sobs again. “I’m not crying, stupid Makoto.”

“Papa, don’t call Daddy stupid”, Satsuki says, who’s now wading her way over to them, having swum out a bit and then returned successfully. “This is fun. Can we stay a little longer?”

“Of course”, Makoto says, and his smile widens. “Maybe one day we’ll be able to have a swim race. What do you say, Satsuki? Does it sound fun?”

She nods, an eager glow in her eyes. “Yeah!”


	7. SouHaru #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "Haru is an actual mermaid and he can transform at will, and he finally worked up the courage to let Sousuke in on his secret."**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Haru sits down in the bath tub and closes his eyes with a sigh. His heart is beating a little faster than normal, but he figures it’s probably a given since he’s going to tell Sousuke his big secret once the other comes back home from work.

So far, the only one outside his family who knows is Makoto, but Haruka knows he won’t be able to keep his secret from Sousuke much longer. Or rather, he _shouldn’t —_ because aren’t couples supposed to share everything?

He exhales slowly through his nose and opens his eyes again. He flicks water at the little blue dolphin at the other end of the bath tub and watches it bob up and down with the little waves forming.

The sound of a door opening and closing out in the hallway makes Haruka flinch, accidentally spilling out some water over the edges. He waits, listens, mentally prepares himself.

“Haruka, I’m coming in”, comes a voice right outside the bathroom, and Haru clears his throat.

“Okay.”

Sousuke walks in, looking as tired as ever, but he musters a little smile the second he sees Haru in the tub. “Hey. I’m home.”

“Welcome home”, Haru replies. “Good day at work?”

His boyfriend shrugs. “It was okay. Can I join?”

Haru looks down at his legs and clenches a fist. “Actually… I wanted to talk to you about something. Show you, rather.”

A confused frown appears on Sousuke’s face. “ _Show_  me? Okay. What is it?”

He swallows hard. “Promise not to freak out. And… don’t—”

 _Don’t leave me_.

“Haruka, what is it? You’re kinda worrying me here.”

Haru closes his eyes again and takes a deep breath through his nose. “You know how everyone always jokes about me one day probably turning into a mermaid?”

Sousuke quirks an eyebrow. “Yeah. What about it?”

“That’s the thing. I— kind of  _am_  one.”

The reaction that follows is one Haru probably should’ve expected, but didn’t. The corners of Sousuke’s lips twitch, and a second later, he’s laughing out loud. He steadies himself by putting a hand on the door frame, the other hand on his stomach.

“I didn’t think you were  _that_  delusional, Haruka. I get that you  _want_  to be one, but—”

“I can show you.”

This time, Sousuke doesn’t laugh. His expression turns almost scared, and Haru figures he’s starting to realise that Haru isn’t lying, that he’s actually telling the truth. As much as he sometimes wishes this was an April Fool’s joke, it isn’t. It’s part of who he is, and he wants Sousuke to know.

Even though it scares him, Haru keeps his eyes locked with Sousuke’s as he takes a deep breath and begins his transformation.

Scales begin to form along his legs as they draw closer together, the colour of his legs fading into a blue-ish green. Soon enough, the legs that he had a minute ago are now morphed into a long tail, with fins that are of a slightly darker shade than the rest of his tail.

He told Makoto about his secret when they were very young still. Makoto had taken the news as a normal person would, with wide eyes and a ‘you’re not joking, are you?’ And of course he did, because who would beyond the shadow of a doubt believe someone who said they could transform into a mermaid at will?

The blue-green scales that envelop his entire lower body fade out by the waist, merging with his human part. Not even once in his life has Haru found this form beautiful. Makoto says he thinks it is, but Haru just can’t see it. He wants to just be normal, without the ability to transform into a half-fish, half-human being.

His fin now rests on the edge of the tub near the plastic toy dolphin, his fins idly flapping about. Haru tries to read Sousuke’s facial expression, but after several guesses and estimates, he lands on a question mark.

Does he find it disgusting? Scary? Hilarious? Is he going to turn on his heel and walk out, only to never come back? Haru wouldn’t blame him. Who would want to live with a freak like him?

“I guess that explains your obsession with mackerel”, Sousuke says slowly, and Haru wonders if this is where he’s supposed to laugh. He doesn’t, though.

“Is it disgusting?” he asks. Sousuke eyes his tail back and forth as if deciding whether or not it is.

“No, it’s… different, that’s all. So, what…  _why_?”

Haruka shrugs, finally unclenching his fist. It stings a little when he does. “I’ve been like this for as long as I remember, and I don’t know why.”

“Can you just turn into a mermaid— merman? Like, whenever you want?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“So? Are you going to run for your life now?”

Sousuke raises an eyebrow. “Why would I?”

“Why not? I’m not who you thought I was. I lied to you.”

The taller man shakes his head and clicks his tongue. “Not telling and lying are two separate things. And… while it  _is_  a little much to take in, I… kinda get why you didn’t say anything. I’ve obviously not been in a similar situation, but I’m pretty sure I’d act the same way. It’s not a good comparison, but I kinda did that with Rin.”

Haru remembers. He remembers when he accidentally walked into Sousuke and Rin arguing right before a race between their schools, and how Sousuke admitted to having been back in Iwatobi, but that he didn’t want to tell Rin because of his shoulder injury.

“So you don’t… think it’s creepy, or disgusting?”

This time, Sousuke shakes his head, and he smiles a little. “Nah. It’s pretty cool, honestly.” He rubs the back of his neck — a habit he must’ve picked up from Rin — and clears his throat. “Guess I can’t join you in the tub after all, huh.”

Haruka shrugs. “You can. You’ll just have to wait until I turn back.”

“Oh. Should I… like, look away or something?”

“Why? You’ve seen me naked before.”

“I— jeez. Yeah, okay. You… do your thing while I go take a shower.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke disappears to get out of his clothes and take a shower, and Haruka begins transforming his tail back into human legs. It doesn’t take long, and by the time Sousuke’s back, he’s all human again.

His boyfriend gets in the tub to sit in his usual spot behind Haruka with his legs around Haru’s sides. Sousuke lets his hands run down Haruka’s arms, and he plants a kiss on top of the shorter male’s head.

“I should’ve known, really”, he murmurs.

“How come?”

“The signs were there all along. The mackerel, the obsession with being immersed in water, the constant fish-related analogies and metaphors you make… it was so in my face that I couldn’t see it.”

“But you didn’t think mermaids existed.”

Sousuke huffs out a laugh. “You’re right. Well, I guess you finally proved me wrong, huh.”


	8. MakoRin #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Cheating**  
>     
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin finds himself out of words. No, that’s not quite what this is, it’s just him being unable to properly convey what he has to say. And in this situation, it’s _very_  bad, as he could potentially lose the one person he truly loves, the person he’d managed to hurt deeply with his foolish actions, if he doesn’t at least attempt to defend himself.

Because it wasn’t meant to happen. He doesn’t even know  _why_  he’d suddenly thought that crossing the line from best friends to something completely different sounded like a good idea. Sousuke, being single, may not have much to lose from it — but Rin has  _everything_  to lose.

But what was he supposed to do, keep it to himself? Rin thinks it was probably better of him to tell Makoto rather than letting him find out on his own. He wants to believe it shows his loyalty to his boyfriend, but he’s pretty sure Makoto doesn’t see it the same way.

“Makoto?” he says as he cautiously opens the door to their bedroom. Makoto’s sitting on the edge of the bed, seemingly just staring into the wall. The sight frightens Rin, and his first instinct is to turn around and walk out, let Makoto be.

Instead of turning back, Rin takes a deep breath and walks inside. There’s still no reaction from Makoto as he does, so he feels like it might be safe to sit down next to him, leave a little room between them just to be on the — somewhat — safe side.

He sighs. “Makoto, I really am sorry. It didn’t mean anything, and it— it wasn’t supposed to happen. I love you, you know that.”

“Do I? What about Sousuke, then?”

“What about him, if I  _love_  him?”

There’s no response, but he figures that has to be it. Of course he loves Sousuke, but it’s not out of that kind of love he has for Makoto. They grew up together, practically having the same kind of friendship Makoto has with Haruka.

So why the fuck did he end up making out with and almost having sex with someone he could just as well call his brother? Yes, Rin is beyond disgusted with himself, and he doesn’t need a reminder that he’s a despicable human being. He knows very well, and wouldn’t blame Makoto if he were to not forgive him.

That doesn’t mean Rin doesn’t  _want_  his boyfriend to forgive him, but he knows it’s practically impossible at this point. But, Rin being a person who rarely gives up on things, knows that this is a situation where he absolutely can’t give up until he’s tried at least a handful of times.

“I do love him”, Rin says, and Makoto flinches. Seeing him like this makes Rin’s heart snap in half. Once again, he’s fucked up between himself and Makoto, and this time, he wonders if it’ll be so easy to patch things back together, as it has been the last few times. “I love him, but not like I love you.”

“How do I know that?” Makoto asks, still not turning to face Rin. “How do I know you’re not lying to me right now?”

“You don’t. All I ask is that you believe that what I’m telling you is the truth. Because I would never,  _ever_  lie to you.”

“But you’d cheat on me, apparently.”

 

* * *

 

The venom in Makoto’s voice stings, and Rin cringes. His chest hurts, and tears are burning behind his eyelids. No, he can’t cry now. Makoto won’t accept his tears; it’s pointless, he has to be strong.

“I didn’t— it was just… we just kissed!” Rin defends himself like the idiot he is. “I stopped it before it went any further, and honestly — I don’t think it  _would_  have gone further than that.”

“And why is that?”

“Because of  _you_ , of course!” Rin almost yells. “Because I have you, and I don’t want nor need anyone else. It was a mistake, Makoto. It won’t happen again.”

“Again, how do I know that? If it was so easy this time, why won’t it be the same next time around? You  _are_  best friends, after all.”

Rin raises his eyebrows, offended. Makoto isn’t going to give this up without a fight, and if that’s what he wants, then that’s what Rin’s going to give him. And win. Because there’s no other option.

“Don’t you pull the best friend card on me”, he snarls. “How do I know you haven’t done anything with Haru? Hmm? You guys have known each other since you were in kindergarten — surely you must’ve had at least one or two more than just friendly moments with him.”

This time, Makoto actually turns around, and his emerald eyes are dark with anger. The side of Makoto that Rin gets to see right now is one he’s pretty sure not even Haru has seen before. “Don’t you  _dare_  compare me and Haru with you and Sousuke”, he hisses. “And I would never even  _dream_  of kissing Haru, because he’s like a brother to me.”

“So is Sousuke to me!”

“So why did you kiss him?!”

Rin opens his mouth to fire off a defensive response, but his throat is too thick for him to continue. All he manages to choke out are sobs, and then the tears that had been burning behind his eyelids finally fall. In the end, he didn’t manage to stay strong, after all.

“I don’t know”, he whispers after a while. “I don’t know, and I’m sorry. I’m… fuck, I’m so scared of losing you, Makoto. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, and if I could, I would take it all back.”

“You shouldn’t have done it to begin with—”

“I know!” Rin sobs loudly, interrupting Makoto. “Like I said, I would… take it back if I could. But it happened, and I’m sorry… all I want is to make things good between us again.”

 _I can’t imagine a life without you_ , are words he should probably say, but can’t. Silence falls between them, and all that’s heard in their bedroom is Rin’s sobbing and sniffling. He hates himself for being so sensitive, so prone to tears. Just once, he wants to be able to hold it in and at least pretend to be strong.

Makoto sighs deeply. He frowns, pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “I didn’t want to lose you, either, but I don’t know how we’re supposed to move on from here and act like it never happened. I don’t know if I can. All I’ll see whenever I see you with him from now on is the two of you kissing. All I’ll be able to think about when I kiss you is the fact that he’s kissed you, too.”

The brunet gets up from the bed, and Rin almost does the same. But he feels like this is a situation where he isn’t supposed to, no matter how much he wants to.

“I need some time to think”, Makoto says, his back now turned to Rin. “So I’ll be staying at Haru’s for a while. Whether or not you think I’m going to try and get my revenge on you with him is completely up to you, but I think you already know my stance on those things.”

Rin recoils when he realises what ‘ _those things_ ’means. Of course, it isn’t as if he isn’t disgusted by the act of infidelity himself, but he kind of submitted to it anyway, so he doesn’t have much of a say on the matter.

“Are we breaking up?” he asks, wiping the remnants of tears on his face with the back of his hand. Maybe this was his last chance, maybe this is actually the moment where Makoto’s finally had enough with him.

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

At least it’s not a “yes”, but Rin still doesn’t want to call this a victory.

 

* * *

 

Makoto packs his sports bag, and Rin watches him as he does. He watches Makoto go into the bathroom and get some of his toiletries, watches him rip out clothes from his drawers and toss them into the bag. He’s never seen Makoto this angry, and it makes him disappointed in and pissed off with himself that he caused this.

When the taller man is finally finished packing, he swings his bag over his shoulder and clears his throat. Rin, having lost all hope, energy and motivation, just stares at him emptily.

“Don’t come over to Haru’s”, Makoto warns him, and all he manages is a hum in acknowledgement.

When Makoto slams the door shut behind him, he doesn’t lock it after him. He always locks the door when he leaves the house, even if Rin’s still at home. The realisation hits Rin like a bag of bricks, and it makes him start crying again.

Rin doesn’t get much sleep that night. But it isn’t as if he feels like he deserves it, either.


	9. MakoRei #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Cheating**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Things aren’t making sense around him and he’s not thinking straight — hell, Makoto wonders if he’s thinking  _at all_. But in the heat of the moment, it feels so incredibly good and  _right_  that he can’t even bring himself to care.

Two hands roam up and down his sides; Makoto gasps and lets his eyes flutter shut as the man on top of him nudges his bulge with his knee. “Ready, Tachibana?”

“Yes… I’m ready… just— get on with it”, Makoto whimpers pathetically. Kenji leans down, he kisses and sucks hard on the side of Makoto’s throat, leaving angry, red marks that’ll most definitely leave hickeys the next day. The hand that isn’t grabbing Makoto’s cock inside his boxers is wriggling his underwear off of him.

To think that a study session could lead to something like this.

Makoto wonders if he should even be surprised that Kenji has a bottle of lube and condoms stored in his messenger bag, but he doesn’t pay much mind to it, as his asshole is soon entered by one of Kenji’s fingers. He squirms, grasps at the sheets below him for purchase, moans, enjoys himself.

One finger becomes two, and that added on top of the sensation of Kenji harshly pumping his cock up and down makes Makoto almost shed tears. It’s been so long since he felt something like this, and he’s glad that he finally, _finally_  gets something.

It’s strange, but Makoto likes the fact that Kenji isn’t being too gentle. He likes the extra force, the roughness of the situation. It’s something completely new to Makoto, and he can’t help but completely indulge and give in to the incredible feeling.

Kenji’s long but not so slender fingers work on stretching him out, his other hand pumping Makoto’s cock up and down. Pre-cum runs down his slit, coats Kenji’s hand and drips down onto the sheets below. It’s all so lewd, but it’s so _hot_  at the same time.

“Come on”, he moans. “I want it. I want  _you_. Now.”

The other man chuckles. He leans forward to bite and suck on Makoto’s neck, surely to leave hickeys that Makoto will have to cover up with a turtleneck sweater for the next few days, or even weeks. Who knows, really — he’s never had a hickey before, and the thought of having them makes him excited.

“You impatient little slut”, Kenji growls into Makoto’s ear between clenched teeth, his breath hot against Makoto’s skin. “Alright, fine — suit yourself.”

 

* * *

 

Kenji sits up, taking his fingers out of Makoto’s asshole, and he finds himself _missing_  the feeling of being filled by them. He knows he won’t have to go feeling empty for too long, as he watches Kenji open a condom packet and wrap the condom onto his cock.

 _He’s huge_ , Makoto thinks, but it strangely enough doesn’t scare him. More than anything, he finds it exciting, the possibility that it’ll  _hurt_ excites him.

The other male scoots close again, and he pries Makoto’s legs open, making him feel all exposed and vulnerable and  _so ready_. When Kenji pushes in, Makoto lets out a loud moan that he’s pretty sure his neighbours will hear. Once again, he can’t bring himself to care. If there’s such a thing as a good way to get himself evicted, this might just be it.

As expected, Kenji isn’t careful in his thrusts. He pulls Makoto’s legs up, his fingernails digging into the brunet’s skin. He’s going to have all sorts of marks on his body when he wakes up tomorrow,

“You’re so tight”, Kenji says through a groan. “And fuck, I love that you are.”

Makoto can literally feel his insides stretch out, and he absolutely loves the feeling. It hurts, but the pain feels good. He’s slowly learning something new about himself that he probably won’t be able to tell anyone else.

He likes pain, likes when people are being rough with him, he likes the fact that Kenji isn’t coddling him, continually asking him if he’s okay. He’s more than okay, he feels great, and—

The sound of the door unlocking and opening makes Makoto’s blood freeze in his veins. Kenji stops moving, too, and they both go dead silent, awaiting the inevitable.

All of Makoto’s courage and boldness run off of him like water, and he quickly pushes Kenji off. It won’t really do much good since both of them are still half naked and will be, once Rei walks into the bedroom.

 _Makoto’s and Rei’s bedroom_.

Makoto feels sick to his stomach. How in the world could he ever have thought that this was a good idea? Why didn’t his brain transmit the signals through that would tell him that he should’ve used his goddamn  _brain_  instead of his _dick_  to think about whether or not this was a smart decision?

“I’m home”, Rei calls into the apartment, and Makoto lets out a shaky sigh. Kenji sits next to him, and he looks so out of place Makoto almost wants to laugh. Laugh at his own demise and foolishness, laugh at the fact that he’s staring down into the void into which he’s just thrown his and Rei’s relationship.

When Rei walks into their bedroom, everything around them seems to slow down and go absolutely quiet. He stares at the both of them for what feels like several minutes, his mouth opening and closing several times as he looks like he wants to say something — but in the end, he just turns around and leaves.

“Well, shit”, Kenji murmurs. “You’re definitely not the best boyfriend in the world.”

And Makoto can only agree.


	10. MakoRei #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Tickle fight**
> 
> Asked by: [magrydyne](http://magrydyne.tumblr.com/)

It’s raining, Rei is bored and he wants Makoto’s attention so bad. But he isn’t in the mood for sex, so what should he do? He knows that the two of them just cuddling may very well lead to something more than that, and since he doesn’t quite feel like it, he wonders what else he could do.

And that’s when he remembers that one fact Makoto told him about a while ago.  _He’s ticklish_.

Rei walks over on light feet to where Makoto’s sitting on his pillow by the kotatsu. He sits down without a word, waiting for Makoto to say or do something. But Makoto’s so immersed in his book that it doesn’t seem like he’ll take notice of his restless boyfriend anytime soon.

That doesn’t mean he’s immune to tickles, just because he’s unaware of the world around him. So Rei decides to give it a shot. He pokes a finger in Makoto’s side, and soon enough—

“Rei, w-wait, what are you—“ Makoto begins, but he doesn’t make it very far before he starts laughing instead. Rei scoots closer so he’ll be able to tickle his boyfriend better, and soon, both of his hands are busy.

Makoto falls down onto the floor, wheezing with laughter and tears streaming down his face. Rei finds the display absolutely adorable, and he doesn’t want to stop, but at the same time, he feels bad for Makoto. So he gives up, taking his hands off Makoto, and waits for the other to recover.

Soon enough, the brunet’s laughter dies out, and he breathes deeply, slowly, to try and prevent more of it to spill out. “You are  _so_  dead”, he half-whispers, and then he pulls Rei down onto the floor as well.

Thing is, Makoto doesn’t stay there. He pins Rei down, and when he’s made sure that Rei has no way of escaping, Makoto begins tickling the shorter male in his sides, on his stomach. And sure enough, now even Rei laughs. Makoto has to fight back a blush in his cheeks; he finds Rei’s laugh to be the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard, and he can’t get enough of it.

“Okay, okay — you win”, Rei wheezes between small fits of laughter. “I had forgotten how ticklish I was.”

“Lucky you, not getting tickled enough that you actually  _forget_ ”, Makoto replies with a pout. Rei smiles and sits up, proceeding to kiss his boyfriend.

“Guess we’re even now.”

“Yeah. But don’t think for a second you’ll be able to sleep safely from now on”, Makoto says, but it’s an empty threat.

(… no, it most definitely isn’t.)


	11. SouHaru #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru is dating Rin but he is in love with Sousuke and they don't know how to tell Rin.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Haru clings to the fabric of Sousuke’s shirt, and he doesn’t want to let go. Neither does Sousuke, whose arms are wrapped tightly around Haru’s middle. The silence around them is painful, because they both know what it means.

“You should probably go”, Sousuke mumbles into Haruka’s hair. “Or Rin might start wondering where you ran off to.”

“This isn’t the first time”, Haru mutters. “He doesn’t have me on a leash.”

“No, but you know what I mean.”

Haru sighs. “Yeah, I do.”

Even so, he wants to stay like this for just a little while longer. To indulge in Sousuke’s endless amount of kindness and warmth, something he feels like Rin hasn’t been able to give him for a long time.

But maybe that’s because he’s been seeking it elsewhere.

Reluctantly, Haruka lets go of Sousuke, and the other lets go of him as well. He doesn’t want to look Sousuke in the eyes, because this is difficult enough for him as it is. And if he  _does_ , he knows he’s done for.

“I want to be with you”, he says. “I don’t want it to be like this.”

“I don’t, either. And I—”

Sousuke’s voice is cut short, and he doesn’t seem like he’s going to pick up where he left off. Instead, he clears his throat and changes direction. “I can’t hurt Rin like this, it’s not fair. He’s my best friend.”

“But I’m… I’m not happy with him. Not like I am with you. I can’t continue like this and pretend like being with Rin makes me happy, because it doesn’t. I want to break things off with him.”

“Don’t”, Sousuke says quickly, before he realises what he’s actually told Haru not to do. Is this what he wants for himself? To continue seeing the love of his life with his best friend, and pretend like that’s okay with him? How long is he going to last, how long will it take before Rin puts two and two together?

“Then what do you want me to do? Do you want me to continue being with Rin? I thought  _this_  was what you wanted.”

Haru demonstrates by taking Sousuke’s hand in his, and he recoils. “You know I can’t just steal my best friend’s boyfriend away from him like that. He’d never forgive me, and I’d never be able to forgive myself for hurting him.”

“So that’s your choice, then”, Haru says. It’s not a question, it’s more of a statement, and it’s one Sousuke can’t entirely disagree with. But at the same time, he  _wants_  to be with Haru, and he knows Haru wants the same.

“Haru, I—”

“Forget it”, Haru says bitterly, cutting Sousuke off. “I get it, you don’t want to be with me. It’s fine.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

But Haru doesn’t want to hear the rest of it. He ignores Sousuke calling after him as he exits his lover’s apartment, making sure to slam the door behind him as he does.

 

* * *

 

Rin comes back home late that evening. Haru’s sitting on the couch, lazily flipping through the channels on the TV without really watching. He’s too distracted, his mind taking all kinds of turns and making him think about things he’s trying so hard to distract himself from.

He feels like a prisoner, a bird in a cage, and he wants to spread his wings and fly out, to escape. But as much as he hates to admit it, he’s of the same mindset as Sousuke. Haru has known Rin since they were kids, and before they started dating, they were really good friends. And Haru doesn’t want to lose Rin altogether, but he knows that if he chooses Sousuke, he probably will.

There’s really no other option for him at this point, it’s gone too far. Well, there _is_ , but that’ll just result in three miserable people, where Haru doesn’t choose either one of them and goes back to being single.

“I’m home”, Rin says as he walks in. Haru swallows hard, his heart suddenly racing in his chest.

“Welcome home”, he says and tries to sound as happy as he can. That’s what he’s supposed to do, right? Greet his boyfriend with a smile on his lips and conceal whatever it is he’s hiding on the inside that might stir things up.

“Man, I’ve had such a bad day”, Rin says before coming over to kiss Haru on the top of his head and sit down next to him. The gesture makes Haru’s heart ache, making it more difficult to decide what he wants to do.

He half-heartedly listens to Rin’s rant about his terrible day, occasionally humming in acknowledgement or nodding. He can’t quite focus his eyes on Rin, however, as they keep flicking from object to object in the room.

“Haru? Are you okay? You seem a little off.”

His chest feels tight, and he’s struggling to breathe normally. Getting up from the couch, he clears his throat and does his best to not topple over on his weak legs. “I need some air. I’ll go out for a walk.”

“Okay”, Rin replies, a little unsure. “Uh, do you want me to come with you? It’s getting dark out.”

“No, I’ll— I’ll be fine”, he lies as he makes his way out into the hallway to put shoes on. He doesn’t even bother bringing a jacket as he exits the apartment again.

 

* * *

 

A certain someone must have telepathic powers, because Haru receives a text message as soon as he starts walking down the street, his hands shoved down the pockets of his jeans. He picks up his phone and almost drops it when he sees the sender.

 **YAMAZAKI, SOUSUKE** :  _I can’t do this, I need to see you. Now. Can you meet?_

He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning his back against a nearby building. Why does Sousuke insist on doing this when he isn’t even prepared to sacrifice something for Haru’s sake?

Even so, he can’t deny the fact that despite having been with Sousuke a few hours ago, he does want to see him again, and as soon as possible. Luckily for him, it seems it’ll happen  _very_  soon.

 **YOU** :  _I’ll come over. I’m out anyway_.

If anything, it gives him an excuse to be inside again, because he was so dumb as to not bring a jacket, or even a sweater.

When he reaches Sousuke’s apartment and the other man opens the door, he stares at Haruka in shock.

“Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”

Haru shrugs. “Just let me in.”

Sousuke still isn’t too happy about Haruka not wearing anything over his thin shirt, but he lets Haruka in nevertheless. He barely has time to close the door before Haruka jumps into his arms. The place where he belongs.

“Haruka”, he breathes, embracing Haruka, who’s wrapping his legs around Sousuke’s waist. He brings a hand up to pet Haru’s head, to feel Haru’s soft hair between his fingers. He lets out a shaky sigh, his heart aching beneath his ribcage.

Haru buries his face in Sousuke’s shirt grabbing the back of it with one hand. He squints his eyes shut, doesn’t want to be reminded that there is a reality outside of this bubble he’s in right now. A reality where he’s torn between two of his most important people, and the crippling fear of hurting either of them.

“I want you”, he whispers. “Why is that so bad?”

“It’s not like I don’t want to be with you, of course I do.”

“So why can’t you? I don’t want to hurt Rin, either, but… someone  _is_  going to get hurt. Either it’s him, or it’s you and I. We can’t walk out of this with everyone being happy, you know.”

“I know! I know that”, Sousuke says, and he sighs again. “I don’t want to pass this up, because I don’t want to lose you. I just… hope that he’ll be able to forgive me one day.”

Haru lifts his head, dark blue eyes meeting teal. “What do you mean?”

“I’m saying we should go talk to Rin. If that’s… if you’re sure that it’s what you want.”

He frowns. “Why  _wouldn’t_  it be?”

Sousuke shrugs before setting Haruka down on the floor again. “It’s your relationship.”

Haruka looks down at his feet, letting go of Sousuke. “I don’t want to sound mean to Rin, but… I think your friendship with him is more important than my relationship with him.”

“What if he feels the same way, then?” Sousuke counters. Haru feels bad for not having thought of it the other way around, and when he does, he’s not sure.

But then again,  _someone_  has to get hurt in this terrible situation. And considering how long this has been going on between Haruka and Sousuke, the only logical consequence would be Haru breaking up with Rin. He can’t possibly go back to being in a relationship with him and pretend like he doesn’t have feelings for Rin’s best friend.

“I don’t know that, and neither do you. We won’t ever know, because if we ask, of course he’ll find out”, Haru states. “Do you want to or not?”

Sousuke frowns and closes his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, let’s… let’s do it.”

 

* * *

 

Haru and Sousuke walk back to Rin’s. The entire way there, Haru has to resist holding Sousuke’s hand for comfort, because they’re in a neighbourhood where they know pretty much everyone. And everyone knows Haru is with Rin.

Things will change from now on, and he doesn’t know how that’l affect things among the people around the area, but he couldn’t really care less. All he knows is that he wants to be with Sousuke, and that’s all that matters to him.

He opens the door and walks in ahead of Sousuke with a “I’m back”. Soon enough, Rin’s footsteps are heard, and Haru’s heart races.

“Welcome back— oh, Sousuke? This is a nice surprise. Something up?”

Sousuke clenches his fist by his side and takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Actually, Ha—Haru and I have something we need to talk to you about.”

Rin frowns, confused. “Okay, did something happen?”

“Kinda, yeah. Can we… go inside and sit down?”

“Yeah, sure”, Rin replies, and Haru wonders if Rin has started to figure things out. To him, it’s so blatantly obvious that it’d surprise him if Rin hadn’t at least suspected something wasn’t right.

The three of them walk inside and sit down on the couch, Rin in the middle. It feels so stiff, far too planned out. Haru wants to jump out the window, wants to escape, but he knows he has to do this. Not only for himself, but for both Rin and Sousuke, too.

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes, excessive amounts of screaming and many spilled tears later, Sousuke and Haruka are the only two left in the apartment. Neither of them dare say a word, not even look at each other. The silence is deafening, and Haru wonders if this was really worth it.

What’ll happen from now on? Will Rin come back? Where’d he go, what’s he planning to do? Maybe they should go after him? No, that would be a bad idea— both he and Sousuke are the last two people on this planet who should chase after Rin. And if Haru were to ask Makoto, he’d have to explain everything, and he’s pretty sure Makoto would get pissed at him for what he’s done.

But Sousuke grabs his hand across the couch, and Haru releases a slow exhale. They’ll figure something out, find a way to make things at least somewhat okay again. He hopes that Rin will one day understand that things couldn’t have continued that way between them, since the love Rin feels for Haruka isn’t reciprocated.

“We’ll get through this”, Sousuke murmurs, squeezing Haru’s hand. He nods.

“Yeah.”

As for how, that’s something they’ll also have to figure out. One step at a time.


	12. MakoRin #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto meets mermaid!Rin**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Before the fishing boat accident Makoto witnessed when he was young, he used to love the ocean and find it fascinating, wondering what creatures lurked below the surface and what he could see if he went below it.

Now, ten years later, he’s scared for the exact same reason he used to find it fascinating.

He wants to overcome this fear, however, because it doesn’t make sense for someone who aspires to be a swimming coach to be afraid of the ocean. He and Haru take the occasional walk down by the beach, and as far as that goes, he’s good.

Shallow water is fine, as long as it doesn’t go above his chest. If he’d get to choose, he’d rather swim in a pool than the ocean, because he knows that there can’t be any weird creatures or something like that in there. He can see the bottom of the pool when he swims and walks around in it, and that calms him down.

One evening after dinner as Haruka and Makoto take their walk on the beach, they decide to sit on the sand for a bit, just to watch the water rise and recede, listening to the seagulls in the distance and enjoying the silence. It’s a nice change to the constant bustle of the Tachibana household. Of course, that’s to be expected with them being five, and his twin siblings always bickering.

“I’m thirsty”, Haru suddenly says, breaking the comfortable silence. “I’ll go up to the vending machine. Do you want something?”

Makoto turns his head to face Haru. “Strawberry milk, please.”

Haru rolls his eyes. “You never change.”

Even so, he gets up and starts walking away from the beach. There’s a vending machine not too far away from where they’re sitting, just next to the little beach shop, and they’ve gone there to get drinks several days a week every summer since they were kids. Makoto can’t help but wonder how many hundreds — or even thousands? — of yen he’s wasted on that thing alone.

While Haru’s gone, Makoto keeps looking out at the ocean. He may not see anything scary now, but he knows there’s got to be something underneath the surface that would scare the life out of him if he ever were to encounter it. The only water creatures Makoto’s okay with are fish, but that’s to be expected, as much fish as he eats. Especially when he’s at Haru’s place, where you’re pretty much expected to be on a strictly mackerel diet.

The setting sun creates glimmers on the water’s surface out in the distance, and when Makoto watches it, he thinks he sees something splash just by one of the big rocks sticking up from the water. A flash of red, and then a long tail with fins that disappear just as quick as Makoto had spotted them.

Is it a fish? No, it’s too big to be a regular fish. A shark? No, he didn’t see the shark fin. What on  _earth_  was that?

He doesn’t have much time to think about it further before Haru comes back with their drinks.

 

* * *

 

Being so intrigued by the creature he saw, Makoto decides to go back to the ocean the next day. Strangely enough, he’s more excited than scared, and wonders what so abruptly changed within him. Curiosity must trump all other feelings, because it’s all he can feel right now.

What makes him think that he’s actually going to see that thing again? Maybe he just saw a mirage, something that was created in the reflection of the sun against the water’s surface. But he’s pretty sure he  _did_  see something that wasn’t a fish, nor a shark, but something he’s never seen before. And that makes him enough curious to ignore everything else around him.

He stands there for a while, just looking out at the ocean, wondering if he’ll actually see it again, but then,  _then_ , there it is. That flash of red Makoto saw yesterday evening turns out to be hair, and his first instinct when he sees the tail flap up and down in the water behind the creature is to laugh, because it reminds him of that mermaid film he saw when he was a child. He’s pretty sure Haru still loves that film to death.

Soon enough, said creature slows down his swimming and stops maybe ten metres away from Makoto. His red eyes are a little intimidating, but the rest of his face bears a neutral expression.

He waves for Makoto to get closer, and this is where he thinks he’ll get dragged into the ocean only to never return. Maybe he’ll be turned into one of those things, too?

“Just get over here, I won’t bite! Maybe”, the creature calls, and Makoto wants to laugh at the bizarre chance that this…  _thing_  speaks Japanese.

All he manages in response is a nod because he’s so shocked, and the creature chuckles.

Makoto takes his shoes off and takes them in one hand as he slowly walks out into the ocean. The water isn’t too cold, it’s actually kind of nice considering the summer heat in the air. His free hand held over his eyes to shield them from the sun, he looks out into the ocean. The water still doesn’t reach higher than his ankles, but he keeps on walking until it reaches his calves.

“What’s taking you so long? Keep going.”

“I’m wearing clothes”, he replies, finally able to speak. The fish-like creature waves a hand dismissively in the air. “Get rid of them, then. Or, well, most of them. I don’t want to see your disgusting human lower region.”

 

* * *

 

So he does, and he can’t believe he’s actually obeying orders from a being he’s never even seen before except for in films. Well, this thing isn’t quite the same, because in films, they were all female. Makoto goes back into shore, removes his t-shirt and shorts, and hurriedly makes it back into the water. Thankfully, where he is at the beach, there isn’t anyone around to see him.

Well, except for the thing in front of him, who lies on his back in the water and laughs, holding his hands over his stomach. “You humans are cute. Why so ashamed? You’re in water, anyway.”

Makoto pouts as he slowly makes his way further into the water. The water is calm right now, there’s barely any wind and he feels like he should be a little more calm about being in the ocean when it’s so peaceful. He still can’t ignore the sped up beating of his heart, 

“There  _is_  something to be ashamed of. I don’t want people to see me in my boxers.”

“But they look like the same thing you wear when you swim?”

“No, they’re different.”

The redhead rolls his eyes and gets off his back to float upright instead. “Right, whatever. So, is this the first time you’ve seen a merman?”

 _Merman_. Makoto holds back a snort, of  _course_  that’s what this guy is. Because he isn’t female, he’s a  _man_  but still of the mermaid species. “No, I haven’t”, he says. “I thought you guys didn’t exist in reality.”

The red-haired merman cocks his head to the side with a puzzled frown. “Exist? Of course we do. Or do you think I’m a hallucination?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.”

The merman laughs again. “Funny guy. Does Mr. Funny have a name?”

Makoto blinks. “Uh… yeah. It’s Makoto. And… you?”

_Do mermen have names?_

“Rin”, the other replies. “Nice to meet you… Makoto.”

His name is a purr on Rin’s lips, and Makoto has to look away, because the look in the merman’s eyes makes him feel like he could get into a lot of trouble if he stared for too long. Like staring into the sun for an extended period of time.

“Yeah… you too”, Makoto stutters. “Bit of a weird first meeting, though.”

“First? So you’re saying we’ll have a second?”

Makoto shrugs. “Only if you’d like. I would.”

Rin hums, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. “I find you interesting, so I might just stick around the area to see if you’ll come around again. Just might.”

Makoto smiles, his fear of the ocean completely forgotten. Maybe some creatures lurking beneath the ocean’s surface weren’t so bad, after all.

“I might start coming by here more often, then.”


	13. MakoRei #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Breakup**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rei’s throat is sore, his eyes are slightly red and puffy and his nose is stuffed. To many, this may look like a common cold, but it’s far from it. He sits on Makoto’s bed, trembling hands folded in his lap, trying to stop his breaths from sounding so shaky.

Makoto’s completely silent. Like Rei, he’s looking down at the floor with a blank facial expression that upon a quick glance tells Rei that he’s given up. There’s no other way out of this, and that’s what hurts the most. They’ve tried everything, but their efforts were in vain.

“I can’t believe we’re breaking up”, Makoto finally mumbles after what feels like an eternity of dead silence between them.

“That’s… my line”, Rei replies. It’s a worst case scenario and it’s hell on Earth; the day that his and Makoto’s relationship would come to an end came far too quickly for either of them to properly grasp it.

It’s been on both of their minds for a while, Rei is sure of it. While it has been on his mind, Rei couldn’t for the life of him think of ending it by his own accord. He still loves Makoto more than he ever thought was possible to love a person, but they’ve drifted so far apart in the past few months that they’ve grown too different.

“Can’t we just… take a break?” he tries, probably sounding as desperate as he feels.

And of course, why  _wouldn’t_  he keep fighting for what he wants to keep in his life? It isn’t in his nature to just give up on something when he’s put a lot of effort, time and parts of his life into it. Being with Makoto has changed him for the better, and he feels like he won’t ever be the same again if Makoto’s absent from his life.

“Again?” Makoto asks, and Rei thinks he hears a small laugh through the question. “We’ve tried, Rei. This isn’t going to work anymore.”

Their similarities was what once brought them together, but now that they’ve grown too different, it’s what drives them apart. The development almost makes Rei want to laugh bitterly, but he doesn’t have the energy to.

He sniffles and dries a tear that falls from his eye. “So you’re just going to give up?”

“Didn’t you just  _listen_  to me? We’ve tried to patch things up before, but it’s like breaking a vase; no matter how hard you try, you’re always going to miss a piece or two to make it whole again.”

 _It seems like our relationship may have been as fragile as a vase, too_ , Rei thinks.

“So what now?” he asks, feeling like Makoto’s infected him with the surrender-disease. “Do I just act like we never dated in the first place? Do I go back to calling you Makoto-senpai like I used to?”

Makoto sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with a frown. “You’re overthinking things. You don’t have to act like we never dated. We… could try and be friends again, but… not too soon. And I don’t want you to call me Makoto-senpai again after all we’ve been through.”

“What am I supposed to do, then?! I can’t just— I don’t know… how to go on from here.”

 _I don’t know how I’m going to live a life without you in it now that you’ve been the biggest part of it for so long_.

“I don’t know, Rei. It’s not easy for me, either. When things have settled down, I’m pretty sure we’ll both think it was for the best, though.”

Rei highly doubts it, but he doesn’t feel like arguing anymore. It’s all set in stone, he’s leaving this house single and probably for the last time. Because as much as they both may want to, it’s probably going to be impossible for them to go back to being friends, even if they give it time.

 

* * *

 

So Rei leaves Makoto’s house with a broken heart, tears still stinging behind his eyelids, and he swears to himself to never, ever fall in love again. He may still be young, but he doesn’t want to experience anything like this again if it has a possibility of ending the same way.


	14. MakoRin #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto being secretive and Rin thinking his boyfriend is cheating on him, when in reality, Makoto's getting secret cooking lessons from Haru in time for their upcoming anniversary.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**You** :  _Oi, where the hell are you? Getting a little worried here_.

 

Rin sighs in frustration and flops down on the couch. It isn’t as if he’s been counting (really, he hasn’t), but Makoto’s been coming home later than he used to for the past few weeks. And Rin knows it’s not because of a change in his shift at work, but something else.

And with Rin being the way he is, having a knack for over-thinking things, his mind can’t help but wander off to weird areas. He physically flinches when a certain thought comes to mind that he wouldn’t ever want to think about his boyfriend.

But what if Makoto’s cheating on him?

It would make sense, really. Makoto comes home late almost every night, he’s evasive whenever Rin asks him about it, and then there was that one time where he’d ended a phone call hastily just as Rin walked into their bedroom. If that doesn’t point to Makoto cheating on Rin, then he doesn’t know what would.

But why? Is Makoto missing something by being in a relationship with Rin? Is there something Rin needs to improve on, something he needs to either start or stop doing? His mind starts to run wild, and it makes him agitated. So instead of sitting down on the couch, he gets up and starts pacing around the apartment.

Suddenly, his phone vibrates in his pocket, and Rin stops in his tracks. He picks his phone out and sees he’s finally gotten a reply from Makoto.

 **Makoto** :  _I’m sorry, Rin_ — _I’ll be back home in a few, I promise. Love you!_

 

Rin snorts at the excessive use of emoticons in said message and throws his phone back onto the couch. Makoto’s probably just trying to stay on Rin’s good side, but Rin isn’t going to fall for it. Something’s going on with Makoto, and whatever it is, Rin is determined to find out.

So when Makoto finally walks in through the door just past ten at night, Rin sits on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest and a bitter expression plastered all over his face.

“I’m home”, Makoto says and sighs, as if he’s had a tough day. As much as Rin  _doesn’t_  want to know, he kind of still does.

“Welcome home”, he says, his voice monotone. Makoto walks into the living room and as usual kisses Rin on the cheek. He sits down next to Rin and leans back against the backrest.

“How was your day?” Makoto asks, and Rin offers a shrug in response.

“Okay, I guess. So where have you been all night?”

“I had some errands to run, and they took far longer than I thought.”

 _Errands_ , Rin thinks sarcastically. Yeah, those kinds of ‘errands’ do tend to tire people out, that’s for sure. “What kind of… errands do you have to do so often and until so late at night?”

Makoto blinks at him in confusion, but then laughs. It’s a reaction completely unexpected from Rin, and he raises an eyebrow. “Rin, what’s this really about?”

“You’ve been really weird lately, Makoto. The other day when you were on the phone, you were in an awful hurry to end the call all of a sudden when I walked in.”

Still smiling, Makoto shakes his head. “Don’t say you’re accusing me of cheating on you.”

“Then what else would this be?”

And this is where Makoto’s smile fades from his lips, the small crinkles by his eyes smoothing out. “Wait… you really think I’m cheating on you?”

Rin stands up and sighs exasperatedly. “What else am I supposed to think?! You come home late pretty much every night and you’re always avoiding it whenever I try to bring this up with you. Don’t tell me that doesn’t sound suspicious to you.”

“Rin…”

Makoto gets up from the couch as well, and he takes Rin’s hands in his. Rin tries to wriggle Makoto’s hands off of him, but to no avail. So instead, he averts his gaze with a frown.

“Listen to me, Rin”, Makoto begins, “I’m not cheating on you. It’s nothing big, really. I’m just hanging out with Haru, he… gets a little lonely sometimes.”

Rin snorts, but he does get that Haru has to get a little lonely living in that big house on his own. And while he has been spending some time with the raven-haired man regularly, he figures no one’s ever as good as Makoto. The same goes for Rin, of course, but in a different way.

“Why didn’t you just say so from the start, instead of saying you were ‘running errands’?”

Makoto scratches his ear and smiles apologetically. “Sorry. It’s just… I didn’t want you to suspect I was doing something weird.”

“So instead you said something as vague as ‘running errands’. Yeah, good thinking.”

The brunet sighs and pulls him close for a hug. “I’m clumsy when it comes to wording things properly, and I’m sorry. I promise I’m not cheating on you.”

 

* * *

 

Still, it’s a little difficult for Rin to completely believe that Makoto isn’t up to something fishy. Even if he’s now convinced that Makoto isn’t cheating on him, there’s  _something_  going on that Makoto’s hiding from him.

When Rin wakes up on a Wednesday morning, he checks his phone as usual in case he’s got new messages or anything. When he sees the calendar reminder on his screen, his eyes widen.

‘ _2 year anniversary with Makoto_ ’ is apparently today, this Wednesday, and Rin has somehow completely forgotten about it. Sadly, he won’t have time to make a nice breakfast for his boyfriend before he heads off to work, so he figures he’ll make it up to Makoto that evening by taking him out to dinner or something.

He wonders if Makoto remembers, or if he may have forgotten, too.

Leaving a note on the fridge telling Makoto not too book himself up that night, Rin makes a quick breakfast for himself consisting of toast and scrambled eggs. He eats, washes his dishes and leaves the house within twenty minutes, only to find out it’s raining outside. Luckily, it’s his turn to take the car today, so he won’t have to go through the hassle of bringing an umbrella.

After a day of constantly being hassled by Sousuke for being absent-minded at times, Rin leaves work to find out it’s  _still_  raining. Great day for an anniversary.

He doesn’t let it get to him, and instead hurries to the florist downtown where he gets a big bouquet of roses with a card. As he’s going to take Makoto out to dinner tonight, Rin figures he won’t really have to get his boyfriend that much else.

But when he comes in through the door, something’s… off. He almost wonders if he’s accidentally walked into someone else’s house, but no — the mail box next to their door clearly says  _Tachibana/Matsuoka_ , so that means he’s at home, after all.

The weird thing that immediately strikes him when he walks in is that he smells _food_ , and on top of that, it smells amazing. Makoto doesn’t cook. Makoto’s a  _terrible_  cook — unless it comes to microwave popcorn, which he strangely enough is better at doing than Rin.

Did Makoto order in? No, that sounds odd; Rin has pretty much established that Makoto knows it’s their anniversary by now. Upon walking further inside, he sees that their dinner table is set with a white linen cloth draped over it, plates and cutlery placed nicely on either side—

Rin freezes. Makoto  _is_  cooking. Oh no.

He hurriedly walks into the kitchen and hopes that it’s not a complete disaster. At least he doesn’t smell fire, so that’s a good thing. When he walks inside, he sees Makoto by the stove, seemingly finishing up whatever concoction it is he’s come up with. Rin sneaks up behind him and wraps his free arm around his boyfriend’s middle.

“Happy anniversary”, he whispers, making Makoto flinch and turn his head.

“Rin?! I didn’t— I didn’t expect you to be home already.”

“Got to leave early”, he says with a grin and lets go. He presents Makoto with the roses he’s bought, watching Makoto’s endearing reaction from the side.

“Oh, Rin…” Makoto says, and Rin wonders if he’s actually gotten  _emotional_. He quirks an eyebrow.

“You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?”

“Of course not!”

Makoto switches off the stove and properly turns around to face his boyfriend. He places a hand behind Rin’s head and pulls him close for a kiss; no tongue, but still passionate. Rin feels his heart skip a beat.

“This was what I kept sneaking around with”, Makoto says with a little smile, but he’s blushing ever so slightly. “I had Haru teach me to cook. So I stayed at his place until late, because he taught me quite a few recipes. And the thing with me cutting phone calls short was because I couldn’t risk you hearing the things I was talking about with Haru.”

Rin feels dumb and ashamed of the fact that he actually suspected Makoto of cheating on him. He ducks his head into Makoto’s shoulder and hugs him again. “I’m sorry for saying all those things earlier. I don’t think you’d cheat on me, it was just—”

“— because I’ve been acting strange. Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry, too. But that’s kinda the way you have to go about it when you’re planning a surprise. It’s okay, Rin.”

Rin straightens himself and puts his forehead against Makoto’s. “Well, there goes my plan of taking you out to dinner. I’ll have to compensate in a different way, I suppose”, he says, the last few words in a purr that makes Makoto flinch again, and he looks twice as embarrassed than before.

“I wouldn’t mind that”, Makoto mumbles, and Rin laughs.

 

* * *

 

As expected when you’ve had cooking lessons from the chef himself, Makoto’s food is amazing, and Rin wouldn’t have traded it for any restaurant meal in town.

Following dinner, the two of them watch a sappy film that definitely doesn’t make Rin cry (maybe just a little), before taking a bath together and having the best sex they’ve had in months. Well, that’s just Rin’s opinion, but he’s pretty sure Makoto would agree.


	15. MakoRei #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Smut + assertive Rei**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

When Rei comes home from work, he’s exhausted and needs stress relief. It’s just been one of those days you don’t really want to remember once you wake up the next day, and Rei thinks he knows just how to make that happen.

He walks into the kitchen where Makoto’s standing by the counters — oh no, he’s planning on  _cooking dinner —_ and Rei finds another reason as to why this is a good idea.

Rei snakes his arms around his boyfriend’s waist from behind, and Makoto winces. “Oh. Rei, you scared me”, Makoto says, but he laughs. “Something up?”

“Might be”, he replies and plants soft kisses along Makoto’s neck. It doesn’t take long for Makoto to start squirming about and sighing from pleasure. So far so good, but this is only the beginning of what Rei is planning.

Makoto turns around to properly meet Rei in a kiss. He doesn’t waste a second to lick at Makoto’s lips, and the other lets him in without a second to think. Rei takes his lover’s hands and starts leading him out of the kitchen, upon which Makoto breaks their kiss.

“What about dinner?”

“Takeout”, he mumbles against Makoto’s lips, and the other smiles.

“You’re paying.”

It’s a wonder that Rei doesn’t stumble over something as he leads Makoto into their bedroom whilst walking backwards. When they’re inside, he has them switch places so he can gently push his boyfriend down onto the bed.

“Bad day?” Makoto asks, amusement in his voice.

“I suppose you could say that.”

He climbs on top of Makoto and kisses him again before prying the other man’s shirt off of him. Makoto lies down when his shirt is off, and Rei continues downwards, kissing Makoto’s abdomen as he goes, and when he’s gotten Makoto’s pants off half-way, he continues kissing Makoto on the insides of his thighs.

“Oh my  _god_ ”, Makoto moans above him, and Rei can’t help but smile. Having successfully removed Makoto’s trousers and underwear, he leans over to their nightstand to grab the bottle of lube and takes Makoto’s already hard cock in his mouth, which only makes Makoto continue his dragged out moans.

Fingers find their way into Rei’s hair as he starts bobbing his head up and down, licking up and down Makoto’s cock as he does; the tip of his tongue running along the veins and up over the slit from where pre-cum has started to spill out.

When his lips leave Makoto’s cock, he hears a disappointed sound and laughs. “Are you impatient?”

“Of  _course_  I am”, Makoto whines. “You can’t just start something and then as soon as you’ve started just… stop.”

He pours some lube onto his index and middle finger before slowly starting to prod at Makoto’s entrance with the first. “Don’t worry, it was merely a brief interruption. Getting right back to where I left off.”

“Good.”

It’s a little tight at first, but Rei makes sure to take it slow and be patient despite how much he just wants to be inside of his boyfriend already. The last thing he wants is to hurt Makoto, He wants it to feel as good for Makoto as he knows it will for him.

After a few minutes of careful preparation and enduring the slight pain of having Makoto pull at his hair, Rei wraps a condom onto his cock and pours even more lube onto it. He knows there’s some of it already on the condom, but it’s probably not near enough to make it acceptable for sex.

Leaning forward as he starts to go in, Makoto’s hands find his back and pull him close for a kiss. And when Rei starts to make his way inside of Makoto, the other man moans into his mouth before he tips his head back and breaks their kiss.

“Feeling okay?”

“Yeah. Keep going.”

More than halfway in, Rei already feels himself starting to lose his mind to pleasure. It isn’t often he’s on the giving end, and he’s glad he actually gets to give back to Makoto now that he’s been doing nothing but receiving for a while.

As he starts moving, Makoto’s moans increase below him, fingernails digging into his back and legs wrapping around his middle, only making Rei go even deeper. Not that he complains, because the sensation is beyond his expectations.  His main concern is to make it as pain-free for Makoto as he can, and so far, it sounds like he’s doing a decent job at it.

His thrusts get less rhythmical and increase in speed and force as well as the way he strokes Makoto up and down as he goes, when he feels himself get close to climax. There’s a tingling feeling running from his head down to his toes, and he finally starts feeling the slight sting in his back after Makoto’s fingernails.

Rei comes not long after Makoto does, and seconds after, they’re lying side by side on the bed, both coming down from their post-sex high and trying to regulate their breathing again.

Makoto takes Rei’s hand in his, and when Rei turns his head to face Makoto, his boyfriend smiles. “That was absolutely incredible”, he says, sounding exhausted. Rei returns the smile and squeezes Makoto’s hand.

“I’m glad. And I agree.”

 

* * *

 

When they’ve cleaned themselves up, Rei and Makoto order food from a restaurant not too long away from home. Thankfully, they now have the rain to blame, as it seems to have started raining sometime when they were having sex.

“I’m glad I won’t have to cook”, Makoto says as he snuggles up to Rei by the kotatsu. Rei silently agrees.


	16. SouHaru #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke cooks Haruka a big birthday dinner, refusing help from his friends.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous
> 
>  
> 
> Happy birthday, Haru!! (June 30th)

Beads of sweat form on Sousuke’s forehead, and he wipes them off for what feels like the umpteenth time in the past hour or so. The kitchen is sweltering hot despite him having opened all of the windows, but he guesses that the summer heat outside kind of cancels out the effect.

Sousuke considers himself good at cooking. Not to sound conceited, but more on the confident side. Whenever he’s cooked for others before, they’ve told him they enjoyed the meal they were presented with. He just hopes that his picky mackerel lover for a boyfriend will be of a similar opinion.

“Oi, Sou — are you sure you don’t want any help?” Rin yells from the living room. Sousuke rolls his eyes. He’s stubborn, at least he can admit to that, because he’d continually refused help from both Makoto (why does  _he_  offer help when he can’t even cook?!) and Rin. While Rin’s cooking is good, Sousuke wants this to be done by him, and him only, as his main birthday gift to Haruka.

“I’m fine!” he replies loudly before returning to the handrolled sushi he’s working on. His first few rolls are wonky and misshaped, since he isn’t used to making them, but soon enough, he gets better at it and they come out looking at least a little bit more even.

The worst part about this is that the birthday dinner won’t be just for him and Haru, since both Makoto and Rin are there, soon to be joined by both Rei and Nagisa who will arrive with Haru. Normally he wouldn’t mind having them over — they’re his and Haru’s best friends, after all — but this is a special occasion. It’s Haruka’s  _birthday_ , for god’s sake. But of course, he’s pretty sure Haru would want to spend it with his friends, too.

Every now and then, Sousuke goes to the stove to check the consistency and flavour of his shabu shabu. So far so good, now all he has to make is the okonomiyaki, which isn’t too difficult since it’s just like an overstuffed omelette.

“Sousuke?” This time, Makoto’s voice reaches his ears.

“Yeah?”

“Rei says they’ll be back in about half an hour. Do you think you’ll be done by then?”

“That’s fine”, Sousuke calls back. Those two have done a pretty good job at keeping Haru distracted — or entertained? — pretty much all afternoon, and Sousuke’s thankful someone was able to do it. Since the other three of them worked during the day, neither of them would’ve been able to keep Haru away from the house.

It’s a little overdecorated, in Sousuke’s opinion, and he just  _knows_  that Haruka’s going to think along the same lines. He smiles a little to himself, imagining the look of absolute disgust and horror on Haru’s face.

There’s a sponge cake covered with whipped cream and strawberries in the fridge, but Sousuke knows neither Haru or Rin are going to touch it even if they were given a ten foot pole to poke at it with. He’s not so sure he’ll be up for dessert after all this food, and he usually does like sweets. Not too much, though.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Not too long after Sousuke deems himself finally finished with this huge feast, the front door to Haruka’s house opens, and an enthusiastic voice is heard all the way into the kitchen. Soon enough, a second voice joins in.

“Nagisa-kun, calm  _down_ ”, Rei scolds his best friend. “It is customary to say hello to your friends the first thing you do when you walk in.”

“Who are here? And why have you invited a bunch of people into my house?”

The sound of Haru’s voice makes Sousuke’s heart skip a beat. He swallows hard, his back still turned to the kitchen entrance. Why is he so nervous over  _food_? If Haru doesn’t like it, he can go out and buy his own goddamn food, if that’s what he wants.

But secretly, Sousuke hopes that won’t be necessary.

“Someone’s even using my ki— oh. Sousuke.”

He exhales, closes his eyes and smiles to himself before turning around to walk towards his boyfriend. “Welcome home, and happy birthday, Haruka.”

Sousuke leans down to kiss his boyfriend, but their lips barely have time to meet before a blond whirlwind comes into the kitchen and interrupts them. They both turn around at the sound of feet pitter-pattering on the wooden floor.

“Wow, Sou-chan, you  _made_  all this? All by yourself?”

 _Way to ruin the surprise, blondie_ , Sousuke thinks, clenching his teeth a little. He feels Haru’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t dare to meet his boyfriend’s gaze. Instead, he clears his throat, attention still on Nagisa in front of him.

“I did. Can you get out now? You’re impatient, and—”

“—ruining a moment. Yeah, I kinda figured. Sorry”, he chirps before he  _winks_  and exits the kitchen again. Sousuke hears Rei starting to scold the shorter male again, but he doesn’t pay attention to what’s said out in the living room.

“So”, Haru says, as if they hadn’t just been interrupted, “you cooked all of this? ‘All by yourself?’”

Sousuke huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.  _Someone_  seems to be in a teasing mood today. “I did. But don’t expect this to ever happen again, because it took me  _ages_.”

Haruka sighs through his nose and embraces Sousuke, a short laugh escaping his lips. “Thank you. It looks great.”

“Yeah, well, whether or not it  _tastes_  good is still up for judgement.”

“You don’t think I’ll like it?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean, I hope you do, but I know how picky you can be.”

“There’s fish.”

“And that’s a deciding factor?”

“You cooked it.”

Sousuke slaps a hand over his forehead, letting it slowly drag down his face. He never knows when to expect his boyfriend to be either picky or far too simple-minded, and today has been an especially bad time for this kind of problem.

His cooking is soon praised by Makoto and Nagisa, who both can’t stop gushing about his shabu shabu. Rei seems to be especially fond of the hand-rolled sushi, but he’s always been a man of ‘healthier foods’, so that was almost to be expected.

Sousuke braces himself for the ultimate judge’s reaction. “Was it edible?” he asks, and Haruka turns to look at him. His eyes soften, and the tiniest of smiles graces his lips.

“It’s good. Really good. Thank you.”

Those few words make him almost feel giddy on the inside, but he refrains from letting it show on the outside. He almost asks Haru if he isn’t just saying it’s good because of the things he’d listed earlier, but figures that would be pushing his luck.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Everyone finally having left, the house is now completely quiet, save for the cicadas outside by the back porch. After his shower, Sousuke returns to the bedroom where Haru’s already in bed buried inside the blanket. Sousuke snorts.

“You look like a burrito.”

“Maybe I  _am_  one. A human burrito.”

“Mackerel burrito?” Sousuke muses, mostly in irony, but Haru’s eyebrows rise. He hums.

“I’d like to try that. Sounds good.”

The taller man snorts. “I’m not surprised you think so.”

He joins his boyfriend in bed, who immediately leans his head on Sousuke’s chest as he lies down. Sousuke looks down at Haruka and smirks.

“Had a good birthday?”

“Mmm. Thanks. Not glad about having Rei and Nagisa drag me all over town, though.”

Sousuke snorts a laugh. “Well, it was kind of necessary. Couldn’t risk having you walk in on me cooking your surprise dinner, you know.”

Haruka scoots up and kisses Sousuke on his cheek. “Now I know what I have to top for your birthday.”

“That’s in three months.”

“All the more reason to start planning.”

Sousuke groans.


	17. MakoRin #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto tells Rin about what happened at training camp a year earlier.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be set during episode 9 of Eternal Summer (altered), just after Rin came to save Makoto from his… towel-less situation (also known as the episode I want to burn down to the ground for other reasons). Yeah. Uh, anyway.

“How could you  _forget_  to bring a towel into the bathroom when you’re going for a  _shower_?”

“Don’t ask”, Makoto groans, still mortified by the fact that Rin had come to knock on his and Haru’s door just as Makoto had been frantically scrambling for a towel, completely naked and still soaking wet.

He’s at least fully dressed now, sitting on his bed with his face in his hands. Rin laughs.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Makoto.”

He peeks out from between his fingers. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“I don’t know. Good, probably. Jeez, Makoto — you don’t even have anything to be embarrassed about. You already know how much I love your body, but trust me when I say I’m not the only one who thinks you look good.”

Makoto watches Rin’s face go slightly pink, and he holds back a laugh. “Thank you, Rin. I didn’t know that, but that’s… nice to know?"

“Yeah”, Rin mumbles, and Makoto decides to change the topic to spare Rin from feeling even more embarrassed.

“Did you come to talk to Haru?”

“Yeah, but it seems he’s not here. What the hell is that guy doing the night before an important race where scouts are going to be watching him?”

Makoto thinks he knows why Haru isn’t here, and why he’s probably out for a run right now. But he’s not so sure if he should tell Rin about his speculations, as he knows Rin will probably take them for facts and go out on a hunt for their raven-haired friend to confront him. And considering the way Haru’s been for the past few days, Makoto knows that a confrontation is the last thing he needs.

“He probably just went out on a run to clear his head or something. I’m sure… Haru has his own worries, even if he doesn’t say them out loud.”

Rin’s frown deepens, and Makoto can’t help but find him adorable like this. It almost reminds him of last year, except this version of Rin is much gentler and mature. It’s amazing what a couple of months can do to a person’s process of maturing.

“I won’t know what the hell he’s thinking unless he’s saying it out loud”, Rin mutters, and Makoto laughs again.

Rin grabs the stool next to the desk and places it in front of Makoto, sitting down and staring straight at him. His gaze is a little intimidating, and Makoto wonders if he’s going to get the scoing instead of Haru, now that the intended person isn’t here.

“So”, Rin begins, “what about you? What are your plans for the future? With your talent and your lap times, I’m sure scouts will be coming for you, too.”

Makoto’s eyes widen. The future is something he doesn’t really want to think about, because he still has no idea whatsoever what to do with it. Right now, all he knows is that he’s probably going to give up competitive swimming for good, but he doesn’t want to tell Rin that.

“I… I don’t actually know”, he says, his voice almost a whisper, because he knows he’s got a lecture coming.

“Do you want to continue swimming, at least?”

And there it is, the one thing Makoto  _didn’t_  want to answer to Rin. But he knows Rin won’t give it up until he’s gotten an answer out of the brunet, so all he can do is give Rin what he wants in the form of an answer to said question.

“I don’t think so”, he admits, and as expected, Rin leans forward with an almost offended expression on his face.

“What the hell are you saying?! Why not? Don’t you enjoy it?”

“Of course I do, but… I’m—”

“Are you still scared? Of the ocean?”

Makoto swallows hard and nods. “Yeah. Being in the water in general stresses me out a bit. I want to at least take a break from it for a while. After what happened at training camp last year, I—”

But that’s where he stops himself, realising that he hasn’t told Rin what happened. However, the damage is already done, and Rin almost leaps forward.

“What happened at training camp?” he prompts, and Makoto averts his gaze.

“It’s… it’s nothing big, really”, he lies, but Rin snorts, seeing right through it.

“Bullshit. You wouldn’t have said it that way if it wasn’t big. Something happened that made you scared of the ocean again. What was it?”

There’s no way of escaping this, even if he were to bolt out the door right this second, Makoto knows that. Because Rin isn’t one to forget things that easily, especially not when it comes to Makoto, he’s found out. Maybe for obvious reasons, but it can sure get a little inconvenient when all Makoto wants is for Rin to forget he ever blurted out something he shouldn’t have.

“Don’t… get mad”, he says. “I thought it was a good decision back then, and I still do. I also don’t want you to go chase after Rei when I’m done talking.”

Rin narrows his eyes. “Rei?”

“Just let me talk first, but please promise not to be mad at him?”

The redhead clicks his tongue and crosses his arms across his chest, sitting up straight. “Fine.”

 

* * *

 

So Makoto tells Rin about how Rei had gone out in the middle of the night to get in some extra swimming practice to catch up to the others, and how it had ended up with him getting caught in a thunderstorm in the middle of the ocean with just a swim paddle as support.

He tells Rin of how he’d woken up noticing Rei wasn’t there, and how it ended up with him throwing himself out into the ocean in an attempt to save the new member’s life, but ending up completely freezing and being unable to save Rei himself, upon which Nagisa came to do it instead.

It brings up bad memories for Makoto when he’s talking, but he knows he’ll have to tell Rin about this sooner or later, anyway. Besides, he knows that Rei is fine, it’s been a year since the accident and he hasn’t swum in an ocean since.

“Makoto… you’re… you’re such an idiot”, Rin whispers. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you? You could’ve ended up like that fisherman, or like my dad.”

“I know that!” Makoto suddenly snaps, having already had this conversation several times before and had people tell him pretty much the same thing. “But what was I supposed to do, just leave Rei out there in the ocean to die?! I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I did.”

“But why did he have to go out in the ocean on his own in the first place? In the middle of the night, even. Fucking idiot, I can’t believe I actually wasted time to teach him how to swim. He almost got you killed, Makoto. How can you act like that’s not a big deal?”

“I know it  _is_  a big deal, but—”

“— you value other people’s lives above your own”, Rin interrupts bitterly. “Yeah, I know, that’s nothing new. I just thought you would’ve learnt by now.”

"Learnt  _what_? To leave people behind when they might die? And don’t you _dare_  bring up survival instinct on me, Rin, because that doesn’t work here.”

Makoto’s almost fuming with anger, even though he knew what he was getting into when he’d started talking about this with Rin. Before he knows it, Rin gets up from his stool and sits down next to Makoto, leaning on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry”, Rin says. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. All I’m saying is that I want you to think more about yourself and not always put everyone around you first.  _You_  should come first.”

Makoto sighs and leans his head on Rin’s. “It’s not that easy. Rei isn’t even to blame for this, since I was the one to suggest us going to the training camp in the first place.”

“Wait, you did? And why the hell would you do that when you’re still scared of the ocean?”

“Because I wanted to swim with my friends”, Makoto replies, and Rin takes his hand.

“You’re such an idiot”, he sighs. “But you’re  _my_  idiot. And I’m gonna have to tell Haru to text me whenever you have an idea like this again, because I’m going to stop you and tell you to think of something else.”

Makoto laughs. “I wouldn’t have expected anything else from you, Rin.”

 

* * *

 

They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Makoto rubbing his thumb over the backside of Rin’s hand. They haven’t been able to spend much time together just the two of them recently due to massive amounts of swim practice for their races tomorrow, so this moment is very much appreciated.

It sadly doesn’t last long before someone knocks on the door. Rin groans, displeased, and Makoto chuckles. When he’s about to get up to open the door, Rin puts a finger under his chin and pulls him close for a quick kiss.

“Love you.”

Makoto smiles as he stands up. “I know. I love you, too.”


	18. MakoRin #7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Model Makoto meets actor Rin at a party, and they hit it off instantly.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“Hey, Makoto, glad you could make it!”

People always tell Makoto he’s got that kind of sunshine smile that almost blinds others, but Kisumi has to be ten times worse, as Makoto finds himself almost having to squint when his light pink-haired friend opens the door.

He’s almost thrown backwards thanks to the shockwave of music blasting right at him when the door opens, and he wonders why he’d even agreed to coming to this party in the first place when he hates going to them.

And it’s not like he’s anti-social or anything, he just isn’t the most social person in the world. Haru tells him it kind of suits the business he’s in, since “most people you hang around with tend to look like they’ve got sticks up their butt, anyway”. Makoto doesn’t quite agree with Haru’s opinion, but he understands that their opinions probably differ so greatly because of their completely different careers.

Kisumi ushers him inside, and almost immediately, someone walks up to him and shoves a drink in his hand with a pat on his back that’s a little too hard for him to pass off just like that. Kisumi smiles apologetically at him with a shrug, and then disappears to leave Makoto to fend for himself.

He sighs. No matter how many times he ends up going to these parties, it’s always the same thing, same people, same conversations. While he hasn’t been in the modelling world for  _too_  long, sometimes he feels like he actually has.

With his suspicious-looking drink in hand, Makoto walks inside and sits down on Kisumi’s far too long leather couch. Well, maybe it’s no wonder it’s so long since it probably has to fill up a lot of space in Kisumi’s enormous living room. Makoto can’t even imagine himself having such a big and flashy place all to himself, even if he were to host a lot of parties. And knowing himself, he probably wouldn’t have parties unless it’s for a special occasion and with a very limited amount of people he actually knows.

Makoto sees a few people he knows, and nods at them in acknowledgement when they walk in. He talks to one of his old classmates from Iwatobi High for a while, but said conversation doesn’t last long before the guy has to go out into the kitchen and fetch himself a drink. He doesn’t return.

To cure his boredom just a little before deciding to ditch the party he’s not really participating in, anyway, Makoto browses through his phone; reads the news and checks his social media accounts. The agency responsible for his last shoot has posted photos of him in various articles of extravagant — and very expensive — clothing. He flips through some of them before he gets bored and puts his phone back into his pocket.

“Hey, uh… is it okay if I sit here?”

Having been lost in his own world, Makoto looks up to see a red-haired man standing in front of him. He’s pretty much the same height as Makoto, maybe a little shorter, his hair is divided in the middle and reaches down to his jaw. Makoto can’t help but find this man absolutely  _stunning_ , and wonders why he hasn’t seen him around before. He might be one of Kisumi’s new friends, though, so that might explain why.

“Oh”, he says. “Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

The man sits down with a sigh. “Man, I might be used to parties, but this is of a completely different calibre from the ones I’ve been to.”

Makoto laughs. “Yeah, that’s Kisumi for you.”

“How do you know him? Sorry, I should probably introduce myself first, huh. Matsuoka Rin. I’m… I’m an actor.”

Makoto’s eyebrows rise. “Wow, that’s a first. I mean, there are usually models hanging out at Kisumi’s parties, sure — there’s the occasional singer, but… I’ve never met an actor before. Nice to meet you, Rin, I’m Tachibana Makoto.”

They shake hands, and Rin leans back against the backrest. “So… how do you know Shigino? Were you forced to come, too?”

Makoto shrugs with a smile. “Childhood friends. We went to the same school, and we’ve been in semi-regular contact since about high school. He ended up entering the modelling business as well, and I guess that’s when we started hanging out more. And yeah... I was kind of forced to come. More like I couldn’t find it in me to say no. How about you? For... both things.”

“Well, he’s friends with one of the guys I’m starring with in an upcoming film, who also happens to be my best friend. I think you know of him, he’s kind of famous. Yamazaki Sousuke?”

Now  _that’s_  a name that certainly rings a bell for Makoto, who nods a little too excitedly. “Wow, you’re best friends with  _him_? That’s pretty cool.”

Having to talk with his voice raised all the time in order to overpower the music blaring from the speakers is exhausting, Makoto finds, and he hopes he won’t have to spend much time here before it’s considered okay to leave. He probably isn’t going to say goodbye to Kisumi before going, because trying to find him among all of these people in this gigantic flat is definitely a suicide mission.

“Eh, I guess. I mean, I’ve known him since I was really young, too. Like you and Shigino, then. Also, yes — we’re in the same boat regarding Shigino. What is it about that guy that makes it so difficult to turn down an invitation?”

Makoto finds Rin really easy to talk to, and he wonders if that’s just because they’re two outsiders at a party neither of them are too glad to be at.

He looks down at the drink he still hasn’t even tried to smell, and grimaces. It’s an almost neon green colour, and when Makoto sees the drink Rin has in his hand, he notices it has the same kind of crazy neon thing going on, except it’s  _pink_  somehow. Makoto doesn’t know which of the drinks looks the most terrifying.

"I have no idea, actually”, Makoto says with a laugh.

Rin flashes Makoto a grin. “So hey, Tachibana, I have a suggestion. What do you say we ditch this snore-fest and go somewhere else? I have a flat not too far away from here where we could chat without the music threatening to make us deaf.”

The suggestion makes Makoto’s heart skip a beat for some reason, and he nods, smiling gratefully. “Sounds great.”

 

* * *

 

Neither of them make an effort to find Kisumi and say goodbye as they leave. Makoto and Rin end up having sex on his couch, and then switching phone numbers before Makoto takes a taxi back home.

They agree to meet for coffee again the next Wednesday.


	19. MakoRin #8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Rin and his and Makoto's daughter go out on runs regularly, because it's what bonded them when she was little. Rin used to take his daughter out in the stroller at night when she couldn't sleep, and it made her fall asleep better.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (whispers) I reused Satsuki's name from a previous prompt.

“Satsuki, are you ready soon? I’ve been waiting for  _ages_!”

“Almost!” Satsuki yells back from her room. She ties her shoes before she hurries out into the living room, where Makoto’s sitting on the couch reading a book. “Also, it’s been like five minutes.  _Chill_.”

She snickers as she hears her father sigh exasperatedly out in the hallway.

It’s a little after dinner time, and Rin and Satsuki are on their way out for their usual evening run. This has been a habit of theirs for quite some years now, and they both enjoy it. Satsuki doesn’t know it, but they’ve technically been doing this since she was about two years old, when Rin took her out in the stroller during nights she couldn’t sleep and wouldn’t stop crying.

Makoto used to find it odd in the beginning and was worried that Rin might get into trouble or something, but having done it several times successfully, Rin managed to calm his worried husband and was allowed to keep doing it. Ever since, he’s been taking her out regularly for a run. And being the daughter of two athletic parents, Satsuki naturally grew up to be the same way.

“Dad, can you braid my hair?” Satsuki asks as she walks over to Makoto.

The brunet looks down at her feet and frowns. “Satsuki, what have I told you about wearing shoes inside? Tatami mats aren’t easy to maintain, you know.”

She waves her hand dismissively, a gesture she’s picked up from her other father, which Makoto dislikes but doesn’t ever bother to bring up. “They’re not _that_  dirty. So? Can you?”

Makoto rolls his eyes with a smile, inserts his bookmark and puts his book down on the couch next to him. “Well, since you asked so  _nicely_ , I’ll do it for you.”

He stands up and takes the hair band and brush that Satsuki holds in her hand before he begins brushing her hair. Makoto’s always been the better one at doing Satsuki’s hair, always being the one to do all sorts of hairstyles on her when she was going to attend birthday parties. It’s one of those small victories that Makoto likes to hold on to.

“Your hair’s starting to get really long”, he says as he begins braiding a fish tail braid. He hopes Rin won’t mind that it’ll take him just a minute or two extra, because he secretly likes this type of braid more than the regular one on his daughter.

“I know”, Satsuki replies. “I think I wanna get it cut next week. What do you think about a fringe?”

Makoto hums in approval. “Yeah, I think that would suit you.”

He finishes braiding Satsuki’s hair and pats her on the back to signal that he’s done. “Alright, I’ve let your father wait a little longer than I would’ve wanted to wait myself. Go and spend some time with him; I think he got a little lonely last week when you weren’t here.”

Satsuki clicks her tongue. “But I was at  _training camp_. He can be so clingy sometimes. Also, he’s got you — why isn’t that enough?”

“He’s not clingy, he just loves you. And it’s a little different. I’m his husband, you’re his daughter.  _Our_  daughter.”

“Whatever, fine.” Though secretly, Satsuki’s a little moved by the fact that her red-haired father is so attached to her. They show their affection to her in very different ways, which Satsuki finds interesting.

 

* * *

 

Finally coming out into the hallway, Satsuki shoots Rin a wide smile. “All set!”

Rin frowns. “Took you long enough. I don’t wanna go out running in the dark, that’s why I wanted you to hurry up.”

“That’s just because you’re  _scared_  of the dark, it’s got nothing to do with me.”

“I’m not scared of the dark!” Rin barks back, but Satsuki just laughs.

“Let’s just go already, old man.”

Trying his best to ignore the nickname his daughter just gave him — definitely not because he’s starting to feel his age, what are you talking about? — Rin follows her out into the cool summer air. The sun has started to set, bathing the town of Iwatobi in that orange-ish light that Rin adores. Evening is the most peaceful time of day, when everyone’s gone home from work and there are only a few people out and about.

They usually run down by the beach along the sand, back up into town past that weird new-age store that Rin suspects of selling illegal drugs. He’s never bothered to act on his suspicions, though, because making a fool of himself at work wouldn’t be the best idea. Sousuke would never let him live that down.

“Dad says you missed me last week”, Satsuki says in a teasing tone, and Rin snorts.

“Of  _course_  I did; you’ve never been gone that long before.”

“Did you get lonely? He said that, too.”

“I did  _not_!”

Satsuki laughs. “Okay, Papa. Whatever you say.”

They run past a couple of children who are sitting on the beach building a sand castle. It reminds Rin of how he used to do that with Gou when they were five and six, and how he later came to do the same thing with Satsuki.

“Hey, Satsuki?”

“Yeah?”

Rin adjusts his little ponytail and clears his throat. “I know you don’t remember this because you were really small back then, but… I used to take you out on jogs during the night when you couldn’t stop crying at night.”

Satsuki turns to look at her father incredulously. “What? Wouldn’t I have gotten shaken baby syndrome from that?”

“Jeez, I didn’t run with you in my arms! You were in a stroller, and I wasn’t running fast, by the way. It was more of a fast power-walk.”

“Still, that seems kinda extreme for a little kid.”

Rin shrugs. “Nah, it was fine, I made sure to be careful. Unless you think you turned out weird?” When she doesn’t reply, Rin smirks. “Thought so.”

Satsuki turns her attention forward again as they start running back towards their house. The streets are a little emptier now than they were when they first went outside, and it’s gotten a little colder out. Gladly, it’s still summer, and even though it’s close to ten at night, it’s still not dark out yet.

“Papa?”

Rin turns to face his daughter. “Yeah?”

“I’m actually glad we turned this into a habit. You may have done strange things when I was little, but it turned out okay, anyway.”

“Of course they did”, Rin says, and Satsuki shoots him a look that tells him to not be so cocky. “You’re our daughter, after all.”

"Oh my  _god_ , you and Dad are too sappy sometimes.”


	20. MakoRin #9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRin where one of them catches the other wearing high heels.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nine MakoRin requests? Holy god. And there are even more coming.

Makoto freezes in place by the door to their bedroom. If there’s anything he thought he’d never,  _ever_  see, this is it. And now that he’s seeing it right in front of him, he doesn’t quite know what to think about it.

“Rin?”

The redhead turns around, miraculously staying on his feet as he does. When their eyes meet, Rin immediately averts his gaze, but the shoes stay on.

“This isn’t what it looks like… it was Sousuke’s idea.”

 

* * *

 

 

Earlier that morning, Rin had been approached by Sousuke, who said he’d finally decided on his request to his best friend since a little less than five years earlier. Expecting it to be something really silly, Rin isn’t surprised when Sousuke proposes this idea.

“And where do you think I’d even get a hold of a pair of black heels if I were to agree to this?”

“Doesn’t Gou have a pair you can borrow?” Sousuke suggests, and Rin rolls his eyes.

“First of all, no — I don’t think so. Second, her feet are  _really small_. I wouldn’t even fit half of— hey, why the hell am I even sounding like I’m _considering_  this?!”

“Because you should. It was in the rules, remember? The loser would have to agree to whatever the other person’s request was if they lost, and this is my request since I won. For you to wear heels when you’re with Tachibana. Just this one time.”

Rin sighs exasperatedly and crosses his arms with a displeased frown. “This is more of a dare than me promising to agree to your request. This isn’t Jackass, you know.”

“I know that, but it’s just this one time. Tachibana might even find it attractive.”

“Makoto?” Rin snorts. “Yeah, right. He’s just gonna think I’m a freak with a weird kink or something.”

Sousuke raises his eyebrows and shrugs. Thankfully, most of the people in their year have left the canteen already, so they’re pretty much alone. The backside to this is that it means they don’t have that much left on their lunch break before the next to last class of the day.

“Why? It’s perfectly fine for men to wear high heels, too. They’re just shoes, really.”

“Yeah, if you think my mum would find it ‘normal’, then you’ve seriously got the wrong idea, Sousuke. I think she’d snatch one of those monstrous heels and hit me in the back of the head with it.

“Jeez, you don’t have to be like that”, Sousuke says and grimaces. “Come on. Okay, how about this. If I find you a pair of heels in your size — no, I’m not going to  _buy_  a pair — do you agree to it then? One time with Tachibana. You only have to wear them for a little while. Say an hour. At home, just the two of you in the house. Didn’t you say his family were leaving town this weekend and he wasn’t going because he didn’t feel like it?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Perfect”, Sousuke says with a grin. “So? I’ll do more than half the work here, you should really take it. And then you won’t have to deal with absolutely having to agree to whatever request I have. It’ll be over after that time.”

Rin groans. He’s glad that Sousuke’s back, of course — but this wasn’t even on his list of things he expected he’d have to deal with. To be fair, even if the request  _is_  beyond ridiculous, it’s still just for an hour. And he figures he could probably sit down for the majority of it. Plus, it’d just be him and Makoto. What’s the harm in it?

“Alright, fine”, he finally says, surrendering. Sousuke pumps his fist in the air like he’s just won a race in the pool or something.

“Awesome! Trust me, this is gonna be an experience you’ll never forget.”

“Yeah, for obvious reasons”, Rin says, rolling his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Makoto bites back a laugh, but the corners of his lips are still twitching, betraying the neutral expression he’s trying to keep on his face. He’s still standing by the door frame to his bedroom, leaning against it with his arms crossed and an amused smile on his face. Makoto feels like Rin might take those shoes off if he takes a step closer, and he wants to revel in this weird but hilarious sight for just a  _little_  bit longer.

To think Rin would’ve hidden a pair of high-heeled shoes in that messenger bag of his. This guy still surprises Makoto, after all these years.

“So tell me the backstory of this. Why did you agree to wearing high heels?”

Rin huffs. “It’s a stupid thing from when we were kids. We’d made a bet, and whoever won would get to request something from the other, whatever they wanted, and the loser  _had_  to agree to it, whatever it was..”

“And why are you only doing this now?”

“Because Sousuke is an unimaginative idiot who couldn’t think of something he wanted before I left for Australia. And then it just… kinda got forgotten. Until now, that is. I’m surprised he remembered that.”

“Yeah, Makoto says, finding it more and more difficult to keep his laughter in. “Where’d he even get those?”

Samezuka is an all boys school, so Makoto doesn’t think Sousuke would get to borrow those shoes from anyone there. His first thought is one of the teachers, but the mere thought of it makes him shudder. Maybe from one of the neighbouring schools?”

“You know Youka High about ten minutes from Iwatobi?” Rin asks, and Makoto swears he must be a psychic, because—

“Yeah.”

“It’s an all girls high school. And Sousuke apparently knows a few of the girls from there for some reason, so he asked around and managed to get a hold of a pair. In my size, even.  _Man_ , they must have some really tall girls there.”

The thought of Sousuke unashamedly going around an all girls high school asking to borrow a pair of high heels in Rin’s shoe size makes it even more difficult for Makoto to not laugh. This is most definitely a day he’ll never forget.

“So what’s the stipulation? Are you going to go out into the neighbourhood and walk around like that?”

Rin shakes his head fervently. “Hell no. I’m just… supposed to wear these when I’m with you. For like an hour or so.”

This time, the dam bursts and Makoto laughs. He walks up to Rin, catching his breath and trying to calm down. When he stops in front of Rin, he notices they’re actually roughly the same height now. Is Rin  _taller_?

“I think this might be better than what you got me for my birthday”, he says, traces of laughter still in his voice. “But I have an idea. Will you listen to it?”

Rin narrows his eyes. “This is bad, isn’t it? Just so you know, I don’t have a deal like this with you. I don’t have to agree to this.”

“You don’t”, Makoto agrees, “but it’s just a suggestion. Since we’re the same height now…”

He demonstrates by putting a hand on Rin’s back, pulling him close, and letting his hands run down to Rin’s ass. “… I thought we could try something new.”

Rin really hates the mischievous glint in Makoto’s eyes, but he has to admit he’s kind of curious since, like Makoto said, they’re actually pretty much the same height now that he’s wearing these god awful heels.

 

* * *

 

Rin agrees to Makoto’s suggestion, and the two of them end up having sex standing up, Rin pinned against the wall. Both of them promise not to mention any of this to Sousuke, and the version they give him is that they just spent the afternoon playing video games while Rin was wearing those heels.


	21. SouHaru #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Smut, as long as it's SouHaru. (Basically, I was given free control over this under the SH stipulation.)**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no SouHaru. I missed writing about these two adorable idiots.

Sousuke raises an eyebrow, but Haru’s expressions remains the same, which honestly pisses Sousuke off a little. To be honest, he’d hoped that Haru was kind of joking, because this is just—

“ _You_  want to be on top?” he asks, and he couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice even if he tried. Haruka nods, serious as ever.

“Yeah.”

“And you want  _me_  to be on the  _bottom_.” He has to make sure. Maybe he’s just greatly misunderstanding it? (Really, it’s just him  _hoping_  he is.)

Haruka rolls his eyes and snorts. Yep, this is definitely serious. “That’s the only option left, you know. So?”

Sousuke still doesn’t know what to say. He’s  _always_  been on top for as long as he can remember, and it just kind of became natural to him. Even though Rin says it isn’t natural for couples to have set roles, that’s actually the way it’s been for him and Haruka since pretty much the beginning.

He wonders if it’s because they’re either too lazy to change things up or if they’ve both been happy with the way things are. So maybe that’s why Haruka wants to be on top for once, because he’s gotten tired of always being on the receiving end. Sousuke guesses it should make him happy, but it just makes him nervous.

“I don’t know. Why, you don’t like being on the bottom?”

Haru shrugs. “I do, I just wanted to try actually being the one putting it in for once. See if I like it.”

Sousuke chokes on his own saliva and coughs. “Jesus, Haru, can you be a  _little_  less subtle in the way you talk about things?”

“Why? What do you want me to say instead?”

He doesn’t actually know the answer to that question. It’s something Sousuke still has to get used to; the way Haru can be so blunt it’s a wonder he’s never actually gotten physical backlash from it in the form of a punch to the face or something like that.

Instead of bothering to go further with the subject, Sousuke sighs in defeat, knowing Haruka won’t give up until he does. “Fine. But if you hurt me, I’m going to get my revenge. Possibly in the form of spraying you down with water when you’re asleep.”

Haru scoffs. “As if that would be a bad thing.”

Sousuke slaps his forehead and sighs exasperatedly. “Whatever, fine, I’ll bottom! Just… get on with it. Not really setting the mood here, Nanase.”

As if to prove him wrong, Haru immediately takes his hand and leads him towards the bed. This entire thing feels so strange, and it’s embarrassing beyond his comprehension, but Sousuke tries to fend off his thoughts as best as he can. Even if the whole idea of being on the receiving end in bed kind of freaks him out a little, he knows Haru isn’t going to deliberately hurt him.

Haruka gently pushes Sousuke down onto the bed. Sousuke figures his boyfriend knows he’s apprehensive about the whole thing, and that he’s trying to calm the taller man down.

Tugging his lover’s sweatpants and underwear down, Haruka doesn’t hesitate to take Sousuke into his mouth and begin sucking him up and down. At least this is a part Sousuke’s more than familiar with. And he certainly doesn’t mind the way Haru’s tongue slowly runs up and down his length, how the raven-haired man below him is never ashamed of the occasional slurping sound that penetrates the silence of the room.

When he’s warmed Sousuke up a bit, Haruka interrupts briefly to get the condoms and the lube, and this is the part where things start to greatly differ from their usual routine. Sousuke tries to keep his cool, however, repeatedly telling himself that it’s just Haru, and that his boyfriend’s going to do all he can in order to not hurt him.

A slick finger enters Sousuke, and he arches his back in both surprise and what he soon learns is  _pleasure_. Because even though Haruka’s fingers are slim, they’re no less efficient and good at what they do. Of course, with those hands belonging to an  _artist_ , that’s to be expected.

While Haru’s slowly working on stretching Sousuke out, he continues stroking his boyfriend’s cock, which is leaking with pre-cum and soiling his hand. Haru doesn’t really care, he just finds it efficient whenever it leaks because it makes his hand slide up, down and over the slit easier. Sousuke is always of a different opinion, but strangely not when it comes to himself doing it on Haru.

One finger becomes two, and Sousuke grasps at the sheets below him for purchase. He feels  _good_ , but he also knows that this isn’t anywhere near what he’ll feel whenever Haru replaces those fingers with his dick instead. While he isn’t bigger than Sousuke, he’s still of a fairly good size that Sousuke thinks could hurt without enough preparation. Thankfully, Haruka’s thorough and careful while he’s fingering Sousuke, making sure to make it as pain-free as possible for his boyfriend.

Sousuke pets Haru on the head, feeling a tingle spread from his crotch throughout his entire body. “Haru, I’m… I’m gonna come at this rate. Just— just get inside me already.”

Haru scoffs. “What, you want it to be over with that soon?”

“No… no, that’s not it”, Sousuke almost wheezes just as Haruka takes his fingers out. The absence of them makes Sousuke feel weird, almost as if he’s _missing_  having them inside of him. “I just… really want you. Now.”

“Oh.” Haru raises his eyebrows, but he doesn’t continue rambling on the subject any further, which Sousuke appreciates. He watches his boyfriend undress completely —  _man_ , he’s got a beautiful body — before skilfully opening the condom wrapper and with steady hands roll it onto his cock.

It’s almost as if he’s done it before, and if he didn’t already know he was the one to take Haruka’s virginity, Sousuke would suspect Makoto of having done it. Who else would be mad enough to have sex with this wonderful maniac?

Haru prods at Sousuke’s entrance with his cock, and Sousuke lets out a pathetic whine that he immediately regrets despite having had no control over, but thankfully, Haru doesn’t comment on it.

“Are you okay?” Haru asks instead, voice low. Sousuke only manages a mere nod in response, fearing his voice would fail him if he tried to use it. He knows he’ll involuntarily use it soon, anyway, but for completely different reasons than responding to a question.

And when Haru starts pushing in, that’s when he does. Sousuke moans, brings a clenched fist to his mouth and bites down on his knuckles. Haruka, the bastard, begins to laugh on top of him.

“Embarrassed, Sousuke?”

“Shut  _up_ ”, he hisses. “I don’t want to wake up the neighbours.”

In reality, he doesn’t mind if they do end up waking their neighbours. The guy living right above them likes to equip his dog with Timberlands and have it run across the floor occasionally, or so Sousuke would like to believe, judging by the horrid sounds that come from there every few days.

 

* * *

 

Finally having gone inside completely, Haru tilts his head back and sighs, eyes closed. Now he knows why Sousuke likes being on top so much, and the reason as to why he should from now on try and convince Sousuke to bottom more often.

Sousuke squirms underneath him; beads of sweat forming on his forehead and his breath going ragged and uneven. Haru isn’t exactly calm himself, as his thrusts are about as uneven as Sousuke’s breathing, but they’re rough, and each thrust is making Sousuke moan loudly. Haru bites back a smile; he’s glad he’s managed to make Sousuke feel good despite it being his first time on top.

Haruka comes not too long after Sousuke does, and before he collapses down onto the bed next to his lover, he makes sure to properly dispose of his condom in the bin by the desk.

He lies down with an exhausted sigh. “Thanks for letting me do that.”

Sousuke grumbles. “Yeah.”

“You liked it, though — admit it.”

Watching Sousuke’s adorable, wordless reaction, Haru snickers and looks up at the ceiling, taking Sousuke’s hand in his. They’re both gross and need to shower, but just for a few minutes, he wants to lie down like this and do nothing. His boyfriend, however, seems to be of a different opinion.

Sousuke sits up with a soft groan. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to walk tomorrow. You’re taking care of me all day as compensation for this.”

Haru rolls his eyes. “I know that. I always do, anyway, because you can’t take care of yourself. You can’t even find your way out of this apartment without my help.”

The taller male throws a pillow at him, and Haruka laughs; a laugh that makes it impossible for Sousuke to hate him. He’s a dangerous man, but Sousuke wouldn’t have it any other way.


	22. MakoRin #10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto tells Rin about working at the swim club. The two of them discuss their futures, and Makoto tells his boyfriend about wanting to one day become a swimming instructor.**
> 
>  
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

When he bumped into coach Sasabe that day, Makoto had definitely not expected to walk away from there with a temporary job. To be completely honest, Makoto’s idea of his first ever job was more in the lines of working in a supermarket or something similar.

So when he calls Rin that evening, he’s still a little baffled. And Rin seems to be, too.

“ _You’re going to help out at the swim club? Wow, that’s awesome!_ ” Rin says enthusiastically. 

Makoto laughs a little. “Yeah, it is. I’m a little nervous, though, because coach told me I’d actually be in charge of swimming lessons and not just stand on the sidelines. I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off… Not that I’m not going to  _try_ , but—”

“ _You’ll be fine, Makoto_ ”, Rin says, interrupting his babbling. “ _You’re great with kids and explaining things several times over without getting irritated  — seriously, how do you do that?  — so this sounds perfect for you. I’m glad_.”

And he seems genuinely happy for Makoto’s sake, too, which makes Makoto relieved. While Haru had been a little unsure about the idea because of Makoto’s still lingering fear of the ocean, he’d still somewhat accepted Makoto’s decision. So for his boyfriend to fully support him during this means a lot, and it helps to ease his nervousness a bit.

“Thank you, Rin”, he says and smiles even though he knows the redhead won’t see it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Go on”, Sasabe prompts with gentle force, “introduce yourself!”

Makoto fidgets. He takes a deep breath and steels himself. “Hello, my name is Tachibana Makoto, and I’ll be your new coach for a little while. I hope to work well with you all.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” the children yell out in unison, and Makoto instantly feels better, relaxing his shoulders and smiling. He looks at all of the children to try and start recognising their faces, and when he does, he notices that one boy stands out a bit in the way he’s looking down to the side, his hands behind his back and lips in a small, worried frown.

During the first day, Makoto notices more and more how apprehensive this boy seems to being in the pool, and he wants to ask if there’s a reason for him being there despite his fear. Makoto knows this fear very well, as he used to be scared of the thought of just being in water when he was younger. In later years, it was reduced to just the ocean, and swimming in the pool was somewhat okay. He guesses it was all thanks to Haru.

So when they’re done for the day, having practiced butterfly kicks for the entirety of the session, Makoto walks out to say goodbye to the kids getting picked up by their parents. When most of them have left, there’s one boy left, standing with his back against the wall and eyes turned to the floor. Makoto recognises him as the boy who had stood out during practice, and he walks over to him.

“Hello”, he says softly, and the boy flinches.

“Ah, coach Tachibana!” he squeaks. “Thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome. Say, Shigino-kun  — where has he heard that name before?   — I wanted to ask you something. Is it okay?” The boy looks up at him and nods slowly, and Makoto continues. “You seemed a little hesitant during practice today. Is something wrong?”

The strawberry-blond boy averts his gaze to the floor again, and he sighs. “I hate swimming”, he mumbles, and Makoto’s eyes widen. He doesn’t manage to get much more out of the boy before his brother comes to pick him up, and Makoto instantly recognises the guy as an old childhood friend of his, Shigino Kisumi.

So  _that’s_  why he recognised the name.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“… and that’s kinda why I really want to help him. You know? To get him to enjoy swimming, because it can be really fun. Well, I say that as I talk to a fellow swimmer, but…”

Rin laughs. “ _Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, if anyone could do it, I’m sure that would be you. Hell, I’m sure you could do anything if you just put your mind to it. But don’t overwork yourself! You have to focus on your studies since this is the last leg of your last year. Also focus on your own swimming_.”

“Yes, Mum”, Makoto says and laughs, too. “I know, but this is outside of both school and practice, so it won’t affect much. And it’s just every now and then, not even every other day. So I’ll be fine.”

Rin hums, still not sounding too sure. “ _If you say so. I just don’t want you to burn yourself out because you want to help others. Otherwise I’m really glad for you; this is a great opportunity. Somehow, I can sorta imagine you as an actual swim coach. Someone who does that stuff every day._ ”

Makoto’s beginning to think that maybe he can envision himself doing it, too.

So the next swimming lesson, Makoto has the other kids practice on medley relays while he takes Kisumi’s brother Hayato to the side. The little boy blinks up at him, his big, blue eyes seeming confused. “Is there something wrong, coach Tachibana?”

“No, nothing’s wrong”, he assures with a sunbeam smile. He remembers the talk he had with Kisumi the other day, and decides to try something. “I was just wondering how you’d feel about trying to swim on your back?”

Hayato’s eyes widen. “Can you...  _do_  that?”

“Yeah! I can show you first, and then you can decide if you want to try.”

It takes a little convincing, but after Makoto’s promised Hayato a few times that it won’t be dangerous, that Makoto definitely isn’t going to let go of him and that he might actually enjoy it, Hayato reluctantly agrees. Makoto begins by teaching him how to kick his legs and how to puff his chest up as to not sink, while holding him up with both hands under his back.

The other kids have started to gather around them, and it seemingly makes Hayato nervous. He doesn’t stop, however, and focuses on what Makoto instructs him to do, and when he’s gotten the hang of it, Makoto decides to take it a step further.

“Hayato, I’m going to let go now, okay? Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I promise everything’s going to be fine.”

“Huh— ah... okay”, Hayato replies, slightly trembling in his voice. Makoto looks down at him and nods once before slowly removing his hands from beneath Hayato’s back, giving him a slight push in doing so, and Hayato  _swims_. The tall brunet can’t help but smile as he watches Hayato float away in the pool, his legs gingerly kicking and the other children cheering him on.

“Way to go, Hayato!”

Practice over, Makoto tidies up the pool area before he goes out to get a shower and change back into his casual clothes. He still hasn’t quite gotten used to wearing a swimsuit like this, and after extensive wear, he gets a little itchy from it, so he’s glad to soon be out of it.

Hayato is picked up by Kisumi as usual, and after the two of them have had a short conversation, Hayato bows deeply to say goodbye for the day.

“Thank you for teaching me to swim, coach Tachibana”, he says. “I’m... I’m not scared anymore. It’s fun.”

With those words, Hayato leaves the swimming club, leaving a shocked but moved Makoto behind.

 

* * *

 

That evening, the first thing Makoto does after dinner is call Rin. During dinner, he’d been talking to his parents about his day, and it had ignited a spark within him, a sense of hope.

He tells Rin about the day, about how he’d taught Hayato to swim in a way that made it possible for him to look up at the sky rather than at the water, and how it had effectively helped to make Hayato actually enjoy swimming. It may sound strange and a little conceited, but Makoto’s proud of his efforts.

Of course, Rin doesn’t waste any time in telling him how he’s proud of Makoto, as well. “ _I knew something like that was going to happen! That job really seems to suit you. Hey, since I’m finally free on Wednesday afternoon, do you mind if I come to watch you teach?_ ”

Makoto raises his eyebrows in surprise. “You really want to?”

“ _Yeah, of course I do! I wanna see my boyfriend perform miracles._ ”

He laughs and scratches his ear, a little embarrassed. “Miracle is a little too much, isn’t it? Anyway, I would love it if you came.”

After a few sessions with the kids at the swimming club, Makoto’s begun to realise that this is something he could definitely see himself doing in the future, as a full-time job. Sasabe says he thinks Makoto has the potential for it, so why wouldn’t he give it a shot?

“Rin... you’ve decided on what you want to do with your future, right?”

“ _Yeah. The Olympics! Professional swimming and all that. Why?_ ”

Makoto smiles to himself. “I think I may have decided for myself, too.”


	23. MakoRin #11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: New vampire Rin refuses to give up garlic bread, despite Makoto telling him not to eat it.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin comes in through the door carrying a grocery bag, and Makoto  _knows_  that look on Rin’s face. He crosses his arms, sitting by the kotatsu facing Rin as the redhead goes in and kicks off his shoes before pulling the hood down from his head.

It’s a hot summer day out, so having to wear that must’ve been pure torture, Makoto thinks. Not that Rin hadn’t brought this upon himself, having had the choice to actually stay inside, but Makoto knows why Rin wanted to leave the house during the day when Makoto wasn’t home.

“I’m back”, Rin says, sighing. “I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

“Welcome home”, he says in a neutral tone. “Got to leave early. Need any help with those groceries?”

“Huh?” Rin says, flinching. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks for asking, though.”

Makoto sighs and gets up from the floor, following Rin into the kitchen. His boyfriend turns around and looks at him in confusion.

“I thought I said I didn’t need help?”

“You say that, but I think you know why I’m here.”

Rin looks down at his grocery bag before he grips it tighter and begins running out of the kitchen. Makoto’s not that far after, and Rin doesn’t even make it out of the apartment with his forbidden food. Makoto takes the bag from Rin’s hands and opens it, only to find what he knew was already in there, and he lets out another sigh.

“Rin…”

“See, this is why I didn’t want you to be home”, Rin grumbles.

“And then what? I’d come home to find you nearly dead? This isn’t about you not being  _allowed_  to eat garlic, you  _can’t_.”

“But Makoto”, Rin whines, “I  _have_  to eat it. The bread is  _calling_  me.”

Makoto raises an eyebrow in amusement. “Bread can talk all of a sudden? Listen, Rin”, he says while taking on a more serious tone, his smile disappearing, “I know you haven’t gotten used to this new lifestyle, but you’re not really doing much to adjust to it, either.”

Rin surrenders and lets Makoto take the bag from him. He frowns. “Just say it. You sound like you’re ashamed of me when you’re tiptoeing around it.”

Makoto shakes his head, puts the bag down behind him and brings Rin in for a hug. “I’m not ashamed of you, I just thought you weren’t comfortable with me calling you a vampire. Since… you haven’t been one for too long.”

His boyfriend grins. Makoto finds it oddly amusing that his teeth actually haven’t changed much, since they were already sharp from the beginning. “Are you scared?”

“Of what?”

“That I’m going to bite you, idiot. What else?”

“Oh.” Makoto shrugs. “Not really. I know you have a soft spot for me.”

Rin snorts. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Same goes for you”, Makoto says with a warning tone that makes Rin hunch his shoulders a bit. “I won’t hesitate to ask Haru or Sousuke to keep an eye on you when I’m not around. Don’t try and pull anything like this again, because I’m not going to lose you to garlic bread.”

The way Makoto puts it makes Rin burst out laughing. “Fine, okay, I won’t.”

And Makoto decides to trust him… for now.


	24. MakoRin #12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Rin gives Makoto his necklace before leaving Japan to train for the Olympics. [OPTIONAL: Further down the road, Makoto becomes Rin's trainer.]**
> 
> Asked by: [drawn4life](http://drawn4life.tumblr.com/).

The last night before Rin flies to Australia, Makoto and Rin spend the night at his house; cuddling, watching a film and having Rin’s homecooked dinner. They both make sure to enjoy the time they have together, but there’s a sombre, almost heavy, air hanging above them the entire time.

“Makoto?” Rin whispers in the darkness, interlacing his fingers with Makoto’s under the duvet. Makoto hums.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Makoto laughs a little. “You sound like we’re never going to see each other again.”

“It’s almost the same thing, though”, Rin grumbles, and Makoto squeezes his hand. They’ve conquered many obstacles in the past, what says they can’t get over this one? Rin wants to stay optimistic, but it’s hard when you know you won’t see your boyfriend in person for several months.

“Not quite. We’ll talk regularly on Skype; it’ll be fine.”

Rin huffs. “You sound like it’s no big deal that I’m leaving Japan. Leaving you.”

Makoto lets go of Rin’s hand and instead pulls him close, placing Rin’s head against his chest with a little sigh. Rin tends to do this when he’s upset; blow things way out of proportion and unconsciously blame others because they might not mirror his emotions.

“You’re not leaving me, Rin. You’re just going to follow your dream, and I’m always here for you when you come back. We might not be in the same place, but we’re still connected, you know.”

Rin snorts. “You sap.”

“Learnt from the best. I love you, too.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Rin keeps his sunglasses on even as they walk into the terminal, as he’s wearing a lovely dark shade under his eyes, courtesy of sleep deprivation. Makoto on the other hand seems fine despite having gotten the same amount of sleep,and it pisses Rin off that his boyfriend doesn’t seem to need as much sleep as he does.

‘Beauty sleep’, as Makoto and apparently everyone else around him likes to call it just because Rin likes to sleep more than them.

There are far too many people around Rin and Makoto when they’ve stopped by a large pillar near Rin’s gate, having checked in his bags. Either people hurrying towards a closing gate, or they’re walking slower than turtles while trying to figure out where to go.

Whatever their reason is, Rin finds the crowd annoying. He wants it to be just him and Makoto there today, but knows very well how impossible that would be at an airport as big as Narita.

“ _Attention. Passengers flying to Sydney, Australia, can now head towards gate 4F which has now opened. Gate will close in thirty minutes. Repeating—_ “

“Shouldn’t you go?” Makoto asks. He’s got his arms wrapped tightly around Rin, whose face is buried in the fabric of Makoto’s t-shirt.”

“No hurry”, he mumbles in response. “Half an hour.”

Half an hour until he won’t be able to see Makoto in person again until late December, at least. Unlike Japan, Australia actually celebrates a proper Christmas, which means he’ll have some sort of break during that time. Even if it’s just a week, Rin isn’t going to hesitate going back home.

Makoto sighs and kisses Rin on the top of his head. When they announce again when they have twenty minutes left, Rin separates himself from his boyfriend. He reaches back to unhook his shark tooth necklace, and Makoto tilts his head in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

Rin takes both of Makoto’s hands and puts the necklace between them. “Giving you this. As a… I dunno, good luck charm?”

Makoto laughs and bumps their foreheads together. “If anyone needs a good luck charm, it’s you. And I mean that in a positive way. Hang on”, he says as he takes off one of his bracelets.

It’s a red bracelet with a few dark yellow streaks that he made with Rin and his siblings last year on a summer day out in their backyard. Ran and Ren had wanted so badly to make some, so the boyfriends decided to join in. Rin still wears his, too, which makes Makoto glad, because that means they must be somewhat important to him.

“Then I want you to take this. The colours remind me of you.”

Rin looks at the bracelet before he lets Makoto put it around his wrist. In return, he helps to put the necklace around Makoto’s neck. He pulls his boyfriend down for a kiss and then slings his bag over his shoulder. “I should go.”

“Yeah. Text me when you’ve landed.”

Rin nods and swallows hard. He’s  _not_  going to cry. Not now. (Maybe when he arrives at his hotel room in Sydney, though.)

“See you soon”, he manages, voice only wavering ever so slightly. Makoto smiles, crinkles appearing in the corners of his eyes, and it makes Rin’s heart ache.

“See you soon, Rin.”

And then he turns around to leave.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Several months pass. As promised, Makoto and Rin keep in contact regularly through Skype, Makoto sometimes joined by their other friends. He continues working at the Iwatobi Swimming Club, and just before Christmas rolls around, coach Sasabe approaches him with a suggestion.

“Coach training?”

“Yeah. It’ll give you an actual teaching licence, well — as far as teaching out sports go. Besides, it’ll be good experience for you. Might learn a thing or two. Of course, the expenses are all paid for. Your course will be at Iwami University, and I know a few of the professors there. Really good bunch. What do you say?”

Makoto fidgets a little. It isn’t that he doesn’t want to, because he feels like it could really be of good use. And if he were to ever get a job somewhere else, a proper licence would definitely come in handy. They value experience, sure — but nothing beats having had academic training.

Even so, Makoto feels bad for having the swimming club pay for his education. They’ve already done so much for him, and he doesn’t know how he’d ever be able to repay them.

“Are you sure?” he asks, and Sasabe laughs, patting him on the back with a little too much force.

“Of course! Don’t worry about it, we only want the best for our best and most popular coach here. You deserve it.”

Makoto ends up accepting it, but he still feels a little bad about having his workplace do so much for him when he’s barely giving anything back in return. He decides to tell Rin the news on Skype that evening after having told his other friends over the phone.

“ _Really? Wow, that’s great, Makoto!_ ” Rin says, grinning. Makoto smiles back.

“Thank you. I hope it’s not going to be  _too_  tough. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go back to school, but fate seems to have other things in store for me.”

Rin waves his hand dismissively. His hair is in need of a haircut soon, Makoto notices. “ _See it as a good thing. When you’re done, you’ll be an actual coach. With a licence. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty awesome to me._ ”

He can’t deny that, and it’s something he’s thought about a few times already since having talked to coach Sasabe. This will give him an actual job title, good experience and something to prove he’s good at what he’s doing.

“I guess you’re right”, he says, and Rin nods, looking proud of himself.  _He should be_ , Makoto thinks. “I can’t wait to see you soon.”

Rin’s sharp-toothed smile widens. “Still a sap. I miss you, too, and I’ll see you in a few days.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, round up!”

The shuffling of feet echoes throughout the pool area. Makoto looks at the boys and girls standing in front of him, all of them looking both exhausted but satisfied with today’s lesson.

“Alright, that’s it for today. Don’t forget to do some stretching before you shower so you won’t get sore muscles tomorrow.”

“Yes, coach Tachibana!” comes the reply from them all at once.

“Good. See you tomorrow!”

The now twenty-three year old Tachibana Makoto cleans up around the pool before he exits and goes into the locker room for a quick shower.

He’s been out of coach training for almost two years now, and is licensed to train even adults older than himself. It’s a little weird to think about, but so far, an opportunity as such hasn’t arisen, so it doesn’t come to mind that often.

Since two years back, he’s been doing what coach Sasabe used to do — training the Iwatobi High’s swim team. It had felt awkward at first, but nowadays he really likes to think about the fact that he’s been in the exact situation as them before.

It had been difficult and stressful to say the least, but Makoto completed his course with high grades, a diploma and later a licence to prove his knowledge and experience, and that made those four years all worth it.

Rin comes back to Japan every summer and Christmas, still. Makoto even came to visit him in Australia twice, and while he’d found it daunting the first time around, the second time was a lot easier to cope with the culture differences, language and especially the heat.

To this day, Makoto still wears Rin’s necklace around his neck pretty much wherever it goes, but it stays in the pockets of his trousers when he’s swimming. Much like Rin had intended it for, it had become a good luck charm for him over the years, and something to look at when he’s missing his boyfriend.

He exits the swim club and shoves down his hands down the pockets on his jacket, one hand having held the keys. He’d been the last to leave, which has happened quite a lot in the past, too, so he'd been the one to turn off all the lights and lock the doors behind him as he left.

Walking up to his apartment, which isn’t too far away from ITSC, he sees a familiar figure standing by the crossroad. A familiar figure who shouldn’t be back in Japan yet. A person he’s been missing like crazy for months now.

“Rin?!”

The redhead turns around and grins, waving a hand as Makoto walks up to him with long strides. “Surprise”, he says, just before Makoto embraces him.

“I missed you”, Makoto breathes. “I can’t believe you’re  _here_.”

Rin laughs. “Neither can I.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey, Makoto.”

“Yeah?”

Rin lies on his back and places his hands behind his head. The faint humming of Makoto’s air conditioning unit is the only thing heard in the bedroom right now, and it’s nice. Dead silence always makes Makoto feel uncomfortable, but he likes it like this. Especially with Rin.

“I have a weird request. Will you listen to it?”

Makoto laughs. He scoots closer to Rin and places his head on his boyfriend’s chest. “Yes. What is it?”

“Do you want to be my coach? My current one is an ass, and I need someone with better discipline, and someone I can trust.”

“I... don’t know”, Makoto replies, hesitant.

In truth, he’s terrified of not being good enough. He knows Rin requires the best kind of training in order to keep getting good results and win races all over the world, but is he going to be good enough to help Rin continue living the dream he’s sought all his life?

Sure, Rin does have an Olympic silver medal and several of every kind from Australian, American and Japanese tournaments, but he’s far from done with his career. He’s gotten lucky on the damage front, too, with only minor injuries and illnesses over the past few years that healed within days.

"What do you mean? You  _can_  say no if you don’t want to”, Rin says with a shrug, and Makoto props himself up on his elbows on either side of Rin. He shakes his head.

“That’s not it. I just wonder if I’ll be good enough to teach a professional swimmer who’s been to the Olympics. I teach high school kids right now, and that’s a big difference.”

“Jeez, Tachibana. In the years I’ve spent with you, I thought you would’ve gotten at least a little more confident in yourself. I know you can do it, and that’s why I’m asking you. Yes, it’s true that you started out with elementary school kids, but you’re teaching high schoolers now, and soon maybe even an old guy like me. What do you say?”

Makoto smiles and sighs through his nose. He leans forward to kiss Rin, slowly and passionately, and when he pulls back, his smile has affected Rin, too. “Alright, I’ll do it. But I’m not cheap, you know.”

Rin’s smile widens, his sharp teeth showing. “I wouldn’t have expected any less from you.”


	25. MakoRei #7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto finds Rei asleep on top of their bed wearing nothing but a towel, and proceeds to wake him and make love with him. Bonus: Nipple play.**
> 
> Asked by: [siberian74](http://siberian74.tumblr.com/)

Makoto’s pretty sure he wasn’t in the shower  _that_  long. He’s thorough, of course, but he likes to think he doesn’t spend more than ten minutes in the bathroom. Even so, when he comes back to their bedroom, he finds Rei already asleep on top of their bed. Not under the duvet, but on top of it, and still not having bothered to at least put on a pair of boxers.

Somehow, Makoto’s glad his boyfriend didn’t seem to have the energy to do so before falling asleep, giving Makoto an opportunity to see Rei in a state he’s pretty sure his boyfriend wouldn’t consider beautiful, even though Makoto does. Despite this, he knows he can’t leave Rei sleeping like that, and he has to do something about it.

He walks over to the bed on light feet, and sits down next to Rei. The younger man’s towel is lazily draped over his hips, almost as if it had been deliberate, as if Rei wanted Makoto to find him like that. But then what? What would Rei expect Makoto to do next?

Rei’s sleeping face looks absolutely peaceful, and Makoto feels bad for having to wake his boyfriend. At the same time, the more he looks at Rei, seeing the outline of his hips just above where the towel drapes over his lower region… he kind of  _doesn’t_  feel bad.

Leaning close, Makoto plants soft kisses along Rei’s neck, placing a hand on the other’s chest and feeling a heartbeat beneath his fingers. Soon enough, Rei starts groaning and squirming about, and within seconds, he’s awake again.

“Makoto?” he says, eyes still not fully open and slightly squinting. “I’m sorry, I accidentally fell asleep.”

“Are you tired?”

Rei shrugs with one shoulder. “I got in a little nap while you were in the shower, so now it’s not too bad.”

“Hey, I wasn’t gone for  _that_  long”, Makoto protests, but Rei just laughs. He tries to sit up, but Makoto pushes him down again. “I have an idea. Would you listen?”

“Okay, I’ll listen. What’s your idea?”

He doesn’t know what it is, but something went straight from his brain down to his cock just from seeing his boyfriend so minimally dressed. No, you can’t even call it ‘dressed’, as he technically isn’t wearing the towel. And Makoto’s always had a weakness for Rei’s body; for how toned his muscles are, the sensation of running the tips of his fingers along the lines of them, and the way Rei’s body feels against his own.

Makoto swallows hard, feeling his heartbeat in his throat. Instead of voicing his suggestion, he turns Rei so that he’s lying down properly and not in that position he’d just slept in, proceeding to then climb on top of his boyfriend with his legs on either side of Rei’s lower body. The towel is still covering Rei’s lower half, and Makoto decides to not so discreetly slide it off.

“Oh”, Rei breathes just before Makoto leans down to capture his lips in a kiss. He nibbles, licks, asks for Rei’s permission to slip his tongue inside, and it only takes so long for his boyfriend to catch on. Makoto lets his right hand travel down to Rei’s now exposed cock. When he grabs hold of it and starts to stroke it, Rei flinches.

“Do you want me to stop?” Makoto murmurs. “I can stop if you want.”

Rei shakes his head fervently. “Don’t… stop. But… get the lubricant and a condom before you continue. Take the new one.”

Doing as he’s told, Makoto takes his hand off of the other man’s cock to lean across the bed and shuffle through his nightstand drawer until he finds what he’s been told to bring back. Their new, still unopened, lube is water-based unlike the one they started out with, which was more sticky and just made more of a mess. This makes it easier for Makoto to gently push a finger into Rei’s entrance, and he smiles as Rei arches his back and lets out a breathless moan.

“Feels good?”

“Yes”, Rei replies, his voice a mere wheeze as Makoto pushes deeper, retracting his finger and going back in. “It has a… nicer consistency.”

“It does”, Makoto agrees. He adds his middle finger, continues to slowly stretch Rei out. His index finger gently rubs at Rei’s prostate, which makes his boyfriend shudder every few seconds as his moans increase in volume. His other hand strokes Rei’s length up and down whilst he runs his thumb over the slit, and he notices Rei is close to release.

The dark-blue haired man grasps at the sheets beneath him. His eyes have fluttered shut a while ago, and he’s biting down on his lower lip to try and suppress the moans that still manage to escape him. Makoto continues to stroke him through his oncoming orgasm, but then, Rei immediately notices the absence of his boyfriend’s hands on him and fingers inside him.

It doesn’t last very long, however. Makoto only interrupts to roll a condom onto his cock and lubricate it before he gets right back to business. Rei’s almost ashamed of the fact that he always finds himself missing the feeling of Makoto inside of him whenever he has to stop mid-act.

“Can we try something a little different?” Makoto asks, and Rei lifts his head up a little.

“That depends. What do you have in mind?”

Makoto laughs. “It isn’t anything dangerous, however, you might find it… a little embarrassing. I don’t know, but… I think you’ll like it in the end. I’ll make sure of it.”

“What is it, then?”

The innocent smile is hard to miss, but Rei knows it’s anything  _but_  innocent in the way Makoto’s eyes glint, giving him away. “I was thinking you could ride me. With your back turned to me.”

Rei raises an eyebrow. “How? By… sitting on your lap?”

“Yeah.”

He feels his face heat up, the flush creeping down his throat and onto his chest. He’s been on all four and they’ve done the missionary, but he’s never _ridden_  Makoto before. It’s one of those positions he hadn’t thought he’d be able to pull off before. But maybe he can, now that he’s more experienced and has a better stamina? He’s confident his leg muscles won’t fail him, at least, so there’s that to lean back on.

“Okay”, Rei says after a little consideration, and takes a deep breath to gather the courage probably needed to do something like this. As Makoto shuffles over to the side of the bed to sit with his legs over the edge, Rei follows not too long after and stands in front of his boyfriend, back turned to him, completely naked.

 

* * *

 

Despite having had sex with him multiple times and even getting changed in the same locker room as him, this is on a completely different level of exposure. He swallows hard. “Now what?”

He hears a little  _snicker_  behind him before he feels two hands on his hips, pulling him back until he actually sits on Makoto’s lap. He’s so embarrassed and wants to fall through a hole in the floor, but he doesn’t move away, and then Makoto hoists him up a little again. A slender finger enters Rei again, and he turns his head.

“I thought… I was already prepared there.”

Makoto smiles. “Just making sure. I don’t want to hurt you.”

And then, before Rei even registers the sudden absence, it’s replaced by something so much bigger than just a finger or two. He leans his head back against Makoto’s shoulder and lets out a moan.

“Oh my  _god_.”

“If you react like that now, you’ll probably ascend to heaven when I’m all the way in. I should probably get a better hold of you in that case.”

An arm wraps around his middle to steady him better, and then Makoto pushes deeper inside. Rei feels himself getting stretched out even more, but it isn’t painful as much as he absolutely loves it. The new position they’re trying gives Makoto a pretty good reach, making it feel like he actually goes deeper than he does in the other positions they use.

Rei closes his eyes and completely loses himself to the sensation of Makoto having finally gone all the way inside him, having started to move. To make it easier on his boyfriend, Rei moves along with him, using his thigh muscles to push himself up and down in rhythm with his boyfriend’s thrusts. It’s a good thing he’s been both on the track team and later on joined the swim team, because it’s given him quite the muscles as a result. Not only in his upper body, but thigh and calf muscles as well.

As he doesn’t pay attention to what else is going on around him, he flinches when he feels a thumb and index finger gently rubbing one of his nipples. His eyes snap open, and he gasps.

“Makoto? What— what are you… doing?”

“Tell me if you don’t like it, and I’ll stop”, Makoto purrs into his ear, his breath hot and a little moist, making Rei’s knees feel weak. Mortification sets in when he realises he doesn’t  _want_  Makoto to stop, that he likes what Makoto’s doing.

“Don’t… stop”, he whispers. He doesn’t receive a response, but Makoto continues what he’s doing; going back and forth between just rubbing and sometimes pinching. The arm that was previously wrapped around his waist is gone, and Makoto’s hand is now pumping his length up and down again. He can’t help but be impressed by Makoto’s multitasking abilities, but his mind quickly forgets the thought as a tingly feeling builds up within him, going from his head down to his toes, and he knows he’s close.

It doesn’t take long to realise Makoto’s getting there as well. His thrusts are rough, almost brutally so, but Rei absolutely  _loves_  it. The slightly growing soreness in his nipple only adds onto the weird pleasure he feels. Rei comes with a loud cry, seeing stars in front of his eyes and the tingly feeling slowly dissipating, almost feeling like a fizz running out of him.

Makoto keeps thrusting a few more times with ragged breaths and low moans that end up in a much louder an dragged out moan, and soon enough, he falls back down onto the bed with a thud. Rei’s thighs are covered in semen, and he doesn’t want to move without wiping most of it first, so he taps on Makoto’s thigh beneath his.

“Can you reach the napkin box?”

“Huh?”

“I need to wipe myself off.”

“Oh!”

Makoto stretches behind him, and a second later, Rei is presented with a napkin box next to him. He wipes himself off and then carefully takes Makoto’s cock out of his ass before somehow walking on shaky legs over to his side of the bed and collapsing on top of it.

The brunet turns to him, heavy-lidded with a tired smile on his face. “So how’d you like that position?”

Rei frowns. All of the courage from before has completely vanished into thin air, and now he feels embarrassed. “It was okay”, he mumbles.

But secretly, he hopes they’ll do it more often. At least after he’s had time to collect himself a little beforehand. Just thinking about it makes his heart race a little faster in his chest, but he doesn’t say it, knowing it’ll only be like pouring gasoline over a raging fire.


	26. MakoRei #8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "The bus broke down near your house, and I know we aren't super close, but I live three miles away and this storm is horrible, can I stay over?"**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rei flinches even though this is the fifth lightning strike of the evening. It isn’t that he’s  _scared_  of them, but the sound just tends to make him jump. As would probably happen to any normal person, he’s sure. He finds storms fascinating, as long as it means him still being inside, safe and sound, just observing them through his window.

For safety’s sake, he’s turned off all the lights and unplugged his electronic devices, and now he’s just sitting in the light of a few lit candles. It doesn’t bother him, though, as it provides him sufficient light to even read, which he’s currently doing.

That is, until there’s a knock on his door.

He turns around and stares at his door, as if that’s going to answer who on Earth might be knocking on his door at this time of night, and in this terrible weather. It’s not  _impossible_ to walk outside, but he’s pretty sure the majority of Iwatobi are staying inside their houses right now. So who could it be?

Getting up from his couch, Rei strides out into the hallway and looks out through the peep-hole on the door. He immediately recognises the guy as someone who works at the gym he frequents, his name being Makoto… something. What’s  _he_  doing here? They’re not strangers, sure, but they’re not really friends, either. Even so, Rei knows he’s not a dangerous guy, so there’s probably no harm in opening up for him.

When he opens the door, the man shoots him a wide, grateful smile. “Hey, I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

Rei looks back into his semi-apartment and suppresses a laugh. Him, busy? He’s supposed to go to bed in two hours or so, the most he would do at this time would be maybe watching TV or sitting with his laptop on the couch.

“No, not at all. Can I help you?”

The brunet scratches the back of his head and laughs sheepishly. “I know this is coming out of the blue, and it might be weird, but… can I stay here until the storm passes? I promise I won’t do anything creepy. I just need someplace to stay for a while, since I don’t wanna walk all the way back home.”

Rei blinks in confusion. This guy can’t live  _too_  far away from here, but there obviously has to be a reason for him to stop here. He decides to let the almost-but-not-really-stranger in, and the other immediately begins shedding his coat.

“Sorry if I make a mess”, Makoto says, and Rei shakes his head.

“It’s okay, it’s just water. Please make yourself at home. Would you like something warm to drink? Coffee, tea perhaps?”

Makoto hangs his coat up and smiles again. The smile is one that Rei feels could probably blind you if you’re not careful and stare at it for too long, so he not so discreetly averts his gaze. “That would be great. Tea, please.”

“Got it. You can sit down on the couch while I prepare our drinks in the kitchen. Obviously the TV isn’t working, but—”

“That’s fine”, Makoto replies, and Rei nods in response.

It feels a little weird to have someone who’s barely an acquaintance at his place. Not that he’s ashamed of how it looks; Rei always keeps his apartment immaculate. It’s not that big, either, so it isn’t that difficult of a task. But it’s the whole idea of what would entail next. What would they talk about? He doesn’t know the other man’s interests besides gym training, and you can only talk so much about working out.

He returns to the living room with two tea mugs, setting one down on the coffee table in front of Makoto and holding the other between his now both free hands.

“Thank you”, Makoto says. “I really hope I’m not a bother.”

Rei shakes his head. “It’s fine, I wasn’t really busy, anyway. So what happened?”

“Huh? Oh, that. Well, I was taking the bus home from work, and it broke down not even halfway from the gym. Then the driver told us there wouldn’t come any more buses until the storm passes, and god knows when that’ll be. I live about three miles from here, and while that isn’t normally long to walk—”

“— it could still be potentially dangerous”, Rei fills in. “Yeah, I know. And I’m more than happy to provide shelter for you until it does pass, I really don’t mind.”

“I’m glad. Thank you… er… Ryuugazaki-kun, was it?”

“It is. But… call me Rei, it’s easier.”

Makoto nods. “Okay. It’s funny; I see you at the gym all the time, but we’ve never actually talked.”

Rei shrugs. “It’s only natural. You work there, and I just come there to work… out.” Only when he’s actually finished talking does Rei realise how dumb that must’ve sounded, and he immediately regrets not having kept his mouth shut.

“Clever”, Makoto says with a little laugh that makes Rei’s heart flutter in his chest.

Just as Makoto finishes talking, there’s another lightning strike, and the taller man squeaks and jumps what Rei feels is like a foot up from the couch. He raises an eyebrow in mild amusement at the reaction he actually finds cute for some reason, and Makoto laughs nervously.

“I don’t do well with thunderstorms”, he admits and hunches his shoulders a little.

“It’s okay”, Rei replies. “I actually don’t mind them, and people around me always say  _I’m_  the weird one for not being too scared.”

“How can you not be scared, though?”

“I don’t know. I’ve always found them interesting. Weather in general, and how incredibly different it can be.”

Makoto hums, seemingly having calmed at least a little. “I wish I was as brave as you.”

Holding back what’s probably an unnecessary comment, Rei guesses the two of them have very different definitions of bravery. He doesn’t consider himself brave in the least bit, and he’s pretty sure Makoto’s a whole lot more brave than he is. Maybe not when it comes to thunderstorms, but Rei can see that there’s a lot more to the man sitting next to him on the couch than what he lets on. His eyes tell a story that the smile on his lips is trying to cover up for, and he wonders what the reason behind that is.

Of course, that isn’t something he ever expects to find out, since the two of them barely know each other as is. And who says they’ll ever be talking like this again? They’ll probably just go back to the way things usually are; Rei coming to the gym every other day or so, maybe saying hi to Makoto on his way in and then when he leaves about ninety minutes later.

They lead completely different lives, and while this thunderstorm somehow brought them in under the same roof somewhere that isn’t the gym, that’s probably as far as things will go with them, Rei concludes.

 

* * *

 

The storm doesn’t seem to want to let down tonight, and Rei definitely doesn’t want Makoto to go home when it’s this dark and still storming. And even though he’s terrified of Makoto’s reaction, he doesn’t have much of a choice.

“Makoto”, he says after a while, “would you want to stay the night? I was thinking, since the storm seems like it’ll be going on for a while, and you might not want to go home this late…”

Rei hopes Makoto gets the rest of what he’s too scared to say, and thankfully, he does.

“I would love to”, Makoto replies with relief in his voice. “I wouldn’t have admitted this before, but since we’ve been talking for a while, maybe it’s okay. Just… don’t laugh.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing.”

“Okay.” Makoto takes a deep breath. “I’m scared of the dark.”

When Rei doesn’t react in the way Makoto probably expects, his facial expression turns a little worried. “Did you… hear what I said?”

“I did. But that’s perfectly normal, so I don’t see why you would be embarrassed about that. In fact, I may be a little scared of the dark myself.”

“Oh. Well, that makes me feel a little better. Thank you for letting me stay the night, and I apologise for any problems this may cause you.”

"It’s fine”, Rei says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ll go and prepare your sleeping place for the night. I hope you don’t mind sleeping on my couch, I don’t have a mattress, and there’s limited space.”

He would’ve offered the other man to sleep on the empty side of his bed, but that’s far too big of a step to take, so he doesn’t. Besides, he’s pretty sure he’d freak out and end up going out to sleep on the couch because he wouldn’t be able to cope with sleeping next to someone like Makoto. Judging from what he’s already seen of Makoto’s body, he’s pretty sure that sleeping next to that muscular body wouldn’t be good for his health, both physical and mental.

When Makoto goes to the bathroom to borrow Rei’s shower — after a few apologies that Rei once again dismissed with a ‘it’s fine’ — Rei drapes a sheet over the couch and goes into his hallway closet to fetch a blanket, a pillow and pillowcase. Just as he’s done, Makoto steps out of the bathroom, and he smiles.

“You’re an angel, Rei.”

Once again, Rei’s heart flutters in his chest, and he wonders how he’s going to survive the night. After having exchanged ‘good night’s, the two of them go to sleep. Rei buries his face into his pillow and grins widely into it. Even if this evening hasn’t gone the way he originally thought it would, he’s glad it didn’t.

 

* * *

 

Makoto’s up and has gotten dressed — sadly — when Rei comes out of the bedroom to go and take a morning shower. The storm has long since subsided, and it’s now bright and sunny outside. It’s ironic how drastically the weather can change in just a couple of hours.

“Good morning, Rei”, Makoto says, and Rei feels like he’s going to spontaneously self-combust.

“Good— good morning”, he manages, sounding like an absolute idiot. He staggers into the bathroom, still a little bleary-eyed, and proceeds to take a cold shower for several reasons.

Having gotten dressed himself, albeit a bit more casually than Makoto, Rei makes them a simple breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, tea (of course) and bacon. It’s a little out of the ordinary for him, but he actually quite likes it. And Makoto seems to enjoy it, too, but Rei feels like it’s mostly because Makoto feels bad about having Rei do even more things for him.

During the time he’s gotten to spend with Makoto since last night, Makoto and Rei have actually had interesting conversations about a lot of things, making Rei feel like he’s at least gotten to know Makoto a little bit beyond what he’s gathered from frequently seeing him at the gym.

He’s found out that Makoto once wanted to become a swimming coach, but had to give up the dream once he realised he’s still scared of the ocean due to an accident during his childhood. As for why Makoto’s scared of the ocean in the first place, Rei didn’t feel like he had the right to know, so he refrained from asking.

There are a lot of mysteries pertaining to Tachibana Makoto that Rei really wants to find out, but he’s too scared to take action. What if Makoto doesn’t want things to change between them to change, that he wants it to be like it was before Makoto came knocking on his door? Of course he would, because why would he want to meet again with a person as common and uninteresting as Rei himself?

“Thank you so much for letting me stay here for so long”, Makoto says, an apologetic smile gracing his lips. They’re standing in the hallway, and Makoto has put both his coat and shoes on, so there isn’t much time left of their short evening together. Rei realises how sad it makes him feel, and how he’s going to actually feel lonely once he closes and locks the door after Makoto.

“It was nothing. I… I enjoyed having you over.“

Makoto smiles again, a thousand suns shining down on Rei. “We should do this again sometime. I mean… not meeting because there’s a thunderstorm. I think we might have to wait a while for that to happen”, Makoto says. “Would you want to go out and get coffee sometime? or… well, tea.”

He’s pretty sure he isn’t hiding his surprise very well, but right now, Rei doesn’t care about such petty details. All he can think about is the fact that Makoto’s sort of asked him out. Well, on a tea date, which might not actually be a date in the literal sense, but still. It’s another meeting with Makoto outside of the gym, and that’s all he’s really wanted out of this evening together with him.

“I would love to. Wait”, he says. He grabs a post-it note and a pen from the side table by the entrance to the living room and scribbles down his phone number, giving it to Makoto who looks at it like he’s just received a Christmas gift.

He carefully folds it — which Rei finds absolutely adorable — and tucks it into the inner pocket of his coat. “Thank you. I’ll text you when I get back home so you have my number. I promise. And then we’ll figure out a day when we can meet. For tea.”

Rei smiles. “That sounds great.”

For tea. And maybe, just maybe, something more.


	27. MakoRin #13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: One of them walking in on the other dancing to a really cheesy love song.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin has had a really,  _really_  bad day at work. That morning, he’d woken up with the hope of at least getting into some action and maybe wrestle down a guy or two after chasing them down, but when the superintendent told him upon entering the office that there was a  _lot_  of paperwork that needed to be done, he knew that was going to be the extent of his day.

His butt hurts, his  _head_  hurts, and all Rin really wants is to come back home to his boyfriend, snuggle on the couch and maybe watch a boring film that’ll put him right to sleep. Rin enjoys his job, sure — but there are some days where he wishes he could’ve just stayed at home instead.

The terrible traffic jam that has him sitting in the same spot for twenty minutes isn’t helping his bad mood, either. Rin almost slams his fist down on the dashboard in front of him, but he tightens his jaw, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose. He’ll be home soon. Probably.

When it feels like an eternity and a half has passed, Rin finally rolls the car up onto the driveway and puts it in park before he shuts it off and gets out with a heavy sigh. He doesn’t want to get into that car again for a long time, but knows he’ll have to again on Monday, unless something urgent comes up during the weekend and he has to go out yet again.

He knows Makoto’s pretty much in the same seat with being a firefighter, so neither of them have the right to complain about the other not being home enough. They both have jobs that require them to be available at all times in case they need to save lives or solve crimes in Rin’s case, and they knew that about the other when they started dating all those years ago.

Still grumbling frustratedly to himself as Rin walks inside, he hears music flowing out from the living room. And it isn’t just any kind of music; it’s sickeningly disgusting lovey-dovey music that even the romantic Rin would consider putting on during a Valentine’s Day dinner. Is Makoto really home, or did someone break into their house just to play this awful music?

He decides to find out by sneaking inside, still being in police officer-mode. And no, he doesn’t sneak in with his gun in hand — that probably won’t be necessary. And when Rin reaches the living room, peeking inside, he sees _Makoto dancing_. Makoto… dancing. It’s such a bizarre sight that Rin almost wants to pinch himself to check if he’s dreaming.

Makoto isn’t just dancing, however. He’s dancing whilst walking around and putting things in order. What for, Rin has no idea, but it’s becoming clear to him that Makoto’s had a far better day at work than he has. He almost doesn’t want to interrupt his boyfriend, but if he doesn’t, Makoto’s going to turn around soon and probably alert the neighbours with his screaming.

So Rin clears his throat, leaning against the door frame with an amused grin. When he does, Makoto flinches and turns around so fast he almost topples over. As if he’s been caught naked, Makoto quickly scrambles to turn off the music, and when it’s all gone quiet, he stands with his back turned to Rin without saying a word.

This time, Rin can’t hold back, and just bursts out laughing. He feels bad, because he knows just how mortified his boyfriend must be right now. So he walks over to Makoto and wraps his arms around the taller man’s waist.

“I think it was cute”, he says, traces of laughter still in his voice.

“Please forget what you saw”, Makoto mumbles. “I didn’t expect you to be home soon, since I heard on the radio that traffic was really bad.”

“So that’s why you took the opportunity. I feel bad, I should’ve just let you keep going”, Rin teases, and Makoto groans, bringing his hands to his face.

He stands on his toes and kisses Makoto on the neck. “I have an idea.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Rin snorts a laugh. “Let’s dance together. I’m in need of something to get rid of my shitty mood. Well, I’d say most of it’s gone by now, but I think this might get rid of it completely. Pretty please?”

Makoto huffs and crosses his arms. “No thanks. I’d like to go crawl into a hole and never come out again right now, if you’d let me go.”

“Makoto… come on”, Rin coaxes gently. “You’re cute when you dance. I’ve even heard you  _sing_.”

“But that’s different”, Makoto protests, the pout almost audible in his voice. “I was dead serious and tried my best when I sang for you.”

Rin will never, ever forget the time Makoto sang for him. It was a lullaby for when Rin had trouble sleeping after a particularly exhausting case; not an actual lullaby, but a song they both really like, sung in a gentle voice that made Rin’s heart melt. And Makoto hadn’t been too embarrassed about it, so Rin figures he’d been fine with at least that much.

“It’s just you and me, come  _on_. I won’t make fun of you. You can make fun of me if you want, because I suck at dancing.”

Makoto turns his head slightly, and Rin detects a very faint smirk on his lips. “Fine, I’ll make fun of you. But only because you laughed at me for dancing by myself.”

 

* * *

 

Makoto doesn’t laugh. It’s a slow dance, but Rin really enjoys it despite the cheesy music playing in the background, and he really does feel like all of the aggression built up during the day dissipates as he tries his best to dance. Honestly, why was Makoto so embarrassed? At least he  _can_  dance, unlike some other guy who actually steps on his boyfriend’s foot once.

Even so, Makoto still doesn’t laugh, which Rin is secretly thankful for. But he knows it’ll probably come when he least expects it; Makoto isn’t one to give up revenge that easily when it comes to things like these. And knowing himself, Rin will most definitely pout and be pissed about it for quite some time, until Makoto makes it literally impossible for Rin to be mad at him.

That boyfriend of his has some really ugly tricks up his sleeve, and he seems to have an endless supply of them, too. A truly dangerous man, when he wants to be.


	28. MakoRin #15 (+background SouHaru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto and Rin have their first fight as a couple. Both upset about it, they tell their respective best friends separately who then give them both the best/worst advice on how to fix it.**
> 
>  
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin slams the door behind him as he storms out, and Makoto slides down with his back against the wall to the floor with a shaky sigh. He’s in shock, unable to believe that he and Rin just had their first fight since they started dating. He’s not even sure if they’ve fought before that; maybe bickered, but it’s never been like this.

When he and Rin moved in together, Makoto had vowed to himself that he’d stop being so dependent on Haru. But right now, all he wants is some support from his best friend, and he hopes his best friend won’t be  _too_  upset with him for stealing the raven-haired man’s precious time.

 

* * *

 

Haruka stares at his phone in disbelief. When he looks over at his boyfriend, Sousuke’s wearing an expression similar to his. They both look at each other, and Sousuke sighs.

“Guessing Tachibana sent you a text, huh.”

“Rin sent you one?”

“Yeah. I’ll go out and meet him down at the coffee shop. Ah, that might be a bad idea in case the waterworks set in… I’ll figure something out. Tell Tachibana he can come here, anyway.”

Haru sighs and rubs his temples with a frown. “It’s probably really dumb.”

“It always is. It’s Rin and Tachibana we’re talking about here”, Sousuke points out before he leans over to kiss Haruka on his forehead. “Text me when you’re done talking to him so I know when I can come home.”

Snorting, Haru rolls his eyes. “You sound like you’ve just been thrown out.”

“Yeah, by them I have.”

Sousuke leaves not too long after, and Haru texts his best friend that it’s okay for him to come over and that they have the apartment to themselves. Honestly, if Makoto doesn’t immediately understand that Sousuke’s gone out to talk to Rin about the same issue, Haru’s been seriously underestimating his friend for the majority of his life. And Makoto isn’t dumb, so he has high hopes he won’t have to spell it out for the brunet.

 

* * *

 

When Makoto comes over, Haru notices he’s actually been  _crying_ , and he vows to himself to hunt Rin down for causing Makoto this amount of pain. Because Makoto doesn’t cry. He hasn’t cried in so long that Haru wonders if that one time he witnessed it when they were kids might’ve just been a dream — or nightmare — of his.

Makoto, being the huge cuddlebug he is, doesn’t waste a second, and tightly embraces Haruka, sniffling into his shoulder. “I think I’ve messed up really big”, he sniffles. “I think we might’ve just broken up.”

Haru sighs. “I think you’re overreacting. Let’s actually go inside and not stand around like a couple of idiots. Sit in the living room, I’ll go make tea. I’ll be out in a second.”

His best friend does as he’s told while Haru strides into the kitchen. He wonders what kind of thing could cause his two best friends to fight; if it’s something really dumb and trivial or something that might actually be cause for divorce. Or, a break-up, really, but in their case, it’s pretty much the same thing as they live together and share everything, anyway.

Makoto’s elbows are on the table, and he’s supporting his forehead on the palms of his hands when Haru returns. It’s a sight that stings in Haru’s eyes, and he wants to call Rin and tell him he’s a dead man for having caused Makoto all this grief.

“Tea”, Haru mumbles and puts down one of the mugs in front of Makoto, who looks at it and lets out a small groan.

“Thanks, Haru. Sorry for coming by like this, I just… didn’t wanna be home alone with my thoughts.”

He shrugs and sits down with his own mug. Silence falls between them while Haru waits for Makoto to begin talking. While Haru is a man of few words much like his boyfriend, he’s always been a good listener. And while Makoto’s for the most part hesitant about loading his burdens onto Haruka, the other man constantly has to reassure him that he doesn’t mind, and that it’s okay.

Because if there’s something Haruka despises, it’s Makoto constantly bottling up his feelings. It’s happened before, and while they’ve had a big fight and later on a conversation about this issue, he doesn’t doubt that it could very well happen again. It lies in Makoto’s nature, and it’s no easy task to just change something so deep-rooted within a short amount of time.

“You probably think this is dumb”, Makoto begins, “but… I kind of exploded on Rin about him always being so… flirty with other people. It bothers me, but what also bothers me is how much I let it get to me. I don’t know what to do.”

Haru shrugs. “It’s just who he is. Don’t tell me you’ve only now just started to see this?”

Makoto hunches his shoulders and looks down at his hands in his lap, which is enough of an answer for Haruka, who sighs. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised; of course there are things you’ll only start to notice about a person once your relationship changes drastically. Makoto and Rin have known each other since elementary school, and there are sides of the other that they haven’t seen up until now. Of course it’s got to be a bit of a shock for the both of them, and maybe that’s what’s caused this fight to begin with.

“I know Rin pretty much as well as you do. And I know that he’d never do anything deliberately to hurt your feelings. He might tease you from time to time, but it’s only because he cares about you. And the thing about him being flirty with others… it’s just who he is.”

“But I don’t like it”, Makoto whines. “And I don’t like how it brings out the jealous person in me, either. I just don’t want to see him being playfully flirty with others when  _I’m_  supposed to be his boyfriend. I don’t want it to bother me, but it does.”

“So tell him”, Haru states simply. “Voice your thoughts and opinions out loud to him, don’t just sweep it all under a rug, because it’s gonna come back at some point and be uglier than before.”

Makoto manages a laugh. “I didn’t know you were one for metaphors, Haru-chan.”

“I’m not”, Haru waves off dismissively. “And stop calling me Haru-chan.”

“Sorry.”

“Just promise me you’ll actually talk to him from now on when things bother you. I don’t need you coming here after every time you two fight. Because there will be more, and I want you to be prepared for that.”

Makoto smiles and crosses his arms over the table, putting his chin down. “You know, I envy you and Sousuke.”

“Why?”

“You guys are both the silent type of people, and you probably end up not having much to fight about in the end.”

“I guess”, Haru says with a shrug. “But no one’s perfect; we have our arguments, too.”

 

* * *

 

Rin is a  _sorry_  sight. Sousuke’s glad they managed to get a rather secluded corner in the coffee shop, and that there aren’t too many customers in at this time. The redhead’s nose matches the colour of his hair, he’s sniffling and wiping his nose with the back of his hand constantly.

Sousuke stirs his coffee absent-mindedly while he waits for Rin to speak. If someone would’ve told him when he woke up that day that he’d spend probably a good hour at the coffee shop and act like his best friend’s therapist, he probably would’ve gone back to bed and turned off his phone. He’s pretty sure Rin’s overreacting, but it’s still too early to make a judgement as he hasn’t heard a single thing yet.

He’s a little baffled, though, having previously thought that Makoto and Rin would never have a fight. Honestly, he expected that he and Haruka would’ve been first to fight, but seeing as they’ve been dating for longer than the other two have and a big argument has yet to arise, he figures maybe the two of them actually  _are_  the more mature pair.

As if he should really be surprised about that.

Eventually, as Rin seems intent on staying quiet, Sousuke grows irritated and leans forward to flick his best friend on the forehead.

“Ouch! What the hell, Sou?!”

“Why are we here if you’re not intent on talking? Talk. Tell me why you dragged me out of the house.”

Rin sighs. “Makoto’s angry. Really angry. I don’t know what I did wrong, but it seems like I really screwed up somehow.”

Sousuke raises a questioning eyebrow. “You’re  _sure_  you don’t know? Maybe it’s just you not picking up on the signals he sends you. That wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember how you guys even started dating in the first place? You were so incredibly oblivious to his feelings and how he acted towards you. I’m surprised you guys actually figured it all out out in the end.”

Rin snorts, but Sousuke knows he’s in the right. “Shut up. I just... I think he’s jealous or something.”

“Jealous?”

“Yeah. Like, he gives off that hint sometimes. Like I’m doing something wrong, but he never  _says_  what’s wrong. And whenever I’ve asked, he just gives me that sunshine smile of his and tells me everything’s fine. How am I supposed to know if he never tells me what’s wrong?”

Sousuke hums before taking a sip of his coffee. He grimaces when he realises it’s gone a little too cold for his taste. “You need to have a proper talk with him. Without either of you escaping”, he adds, making Rin frown.

“I didn’t... escape. I just didn’t want to make things worse, because I don’t wanna lose him.”

“So tell him”, Sousuke says with a shrug. “Communication is key. Tell him you guys need to be open with each other about things that bother you. Otherwise you couldn’t even hope of making this work.”

 

* * *

 

**You** :  _Makoto’s left. You can come home whenever you’re done talking to Rin_.

Haru snorts at the entire situation, at how silly it sounds to tell his boyfriend when it’s safe for him to come back to  _their_  house, when they aren’t the ones who have been in an argument. Honestly, after having talked to Makoto, he’s pretty sure those two are children compared to himself and Sousuke.

When Sousuke returns about twenty minutes after he’s sent the text message, his boyfriend heaves a long sigh. “Man... no offence, but I really hate how you and I have to share best friends and how they also have to be  _dating_. This is such a weird arrangement.”

“It is”, Haru agrees. “But I guess it was inevitable with you always having to protect Rin and be by his side.”

Sousuke scoffs as he walks in and sits down next to Haru on the couch. He buries his face into Haru’s shoulder, taking in his scent. “You’re one to talk with being pretty much attached by the hip to Tachibana during your entire childhood. Hell, you’re still a little like that even now. But yeah, maybe it was inevitable for this to happen. I just hope those two can get their heads out of their asses and work things out.”

“Yeah.”

“Imagine if you and I were like that. What a nightmare.”

Haru shudders, secretly thankful for the simplicity of his and Sousuke’s relationship. Even if they were to have a fight one day, he’s pretty sure the two of them would handle it a lot better than Makoto and Rin.


	29. MakoRin #14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto's siblings force him and Rin to take part in their tea party, deeming Rin the princess and Makoto a knight in shining armour.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin feels his eye twitch, and he wants to jump out the window, escape this… what would only be appropriately called hell. Ren and Ran are staring at him, wide smiles and their eyes practically glowing with excitement and anticipation of what they apparently want to unfold. Rin’s so embarrassed he could die. Why does he have to be the princess?

Makoto shoots him an apologetic smile, but Rin’s facial expression doesn’t change in the least bit. He’s trying not to look angry, because he absolutely doesn’t want to hurt the twins’ feelings. But at the same time… there’s got to be some limit to their imagination, their demands and what they’re actually allowed to do.

“You look so cute, Rin-rin!” Ran says, and Ren’s menacing giggle tells the redhead otherwise. He’s glad he hasn’t been presented with a mirror, because he’s pretty sure his first instinct would be to rip the frilly pink tiara off of his head. The fact that Ran has one of these in the first place probably shouldn’t surprise Rin, but the fact that it had to end up on his head of all places.

Maybe he should be glad that there isn’t a dress involved. The maid café at Samezuka during his second year had been traumatising enough of an experience for him to vow to himself never to even touch a dress again.

“Why don’t you get something to wear?”

Makoto shrugs. “Ren doesn’t have anything that would fit a knight, I think.”

“In shining armour!” Ren adds, and Makoto rolls his eyes, smiling.

There’s supposed to be pretend-tea in the cup in front of him, and Ran has instructed him to sip on it occasionally to make it look more realistic. How is any of this realistic? He’s an eighteen year old guy drinking pretend-tea out of a light pink tea cup with a tiara on his head. Man, if Sousuke were to see this, he would never, ever let Rin live this one down.

“Hold on just a second”, Rin says and puts down the cup, ignoring Ran’s glare, “if we’re having tea now, does that mean Makoto’s already saved me from whatever tragic fate I had coming?”

“Yes”, Ran replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world that Rin somehow missed out on. “You’ve been invited to where he lives, and he’s going to propose to you. So you can get married.”

“Married”, Rin says slowly, and he feels Makoto glancing his way. “Okay. So what do we do?”

“Onii-chan, you have to say that there’s something you want to ask her. Well, the princess. Rin-rin.”

Rin holds back a protesting comment, disliking the fact that he has to be thegirl. He’s a man, for god’s sake — why couldn’t he have been a prince needing to be saved? Before he knows it, Makoto scoots over to him and sits in front of him. “Rin, stand up.”

“What, why?”

“To make it… a little more realistic.”

There it is again, the whole obsession with things being realistic. Rin decides to humour his boyfriend, and stands up. Makoto takes his left hand between both of his, and clears his throat. There’s an amused glint in his eyes, and  Rin wants so bad to kick him where he’s sitting.

“Princess, there’s something I must ask you”, Makoto says, and Rin feels like he’s going to die from embarrassment. “I know this is very sudden, but… will you marry me? I promise I’ll make you the happiest… princess in the entire world.”

Rin’s eyebrows skyrocket, and he fails to hold back a scoff, a smile appearing on his lips. “Yeah. I mean, yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

“Now kiss!” Ran hisses behind them, and Makoto laughs before standing up as well. It feels weird that they have to kiss while Makoto’s siblings are watching them, but that’s the reason as to why there can’t be a long or deep kiss. A peck will have to do, or else Rin isn’t sure he’ll be able to pull away that soon.

Rin stands on his toes, and Makoto places one hand on Rin’s hips, the other hand’s index finger under his chin. It feels far too intimate for it to just be a part of the twins’ play, but he plays along. Makoto leans forward, and places a kiss on Rin’s lips that of course doesn’t last as long as both of them would’ve liked.

“Wow”, Ran says, “that… that almost looked real.”

Rin looks up at Makoto, who blushes and averts his gaze. He grins.

Oh, if only they knew.


	30. MakoRei #9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Blind date where they both really hit it off and want to meet again. Surprisingly enough, they meet sooner than expected at their kids' school when they pick them up.**
> 
> Asked by: [stuffonmymind12](http://stuffonmymind12.tumblr.com/).

“Come  _on_ , Rei-chan — you haven’t been on a date in  _ages_!” Nagisa whines. Rei is still intent on standing his ground; a blind date seems like worst kind of idea, but also the best opportunity for someone to possibly cause him physical harm. What if the guy Nagisa wants him to go on a date with is in fact a serial killer?

One couldn’t rule out the possibility even if they were an optimist, because the risk is always there when you’re meeting someone you’ve never even talked to before. Rei might not be an optimist, but he isn’t a pessimist, either. He likes to think of himself as a  _realist_ , though his best friend begs to differ on that one.

Sure, maybe he should trust Nagisa’s judgement when it comes to which people to befriend—

No. No, definitely not. Rei needs more confirmation that this guy isn’t a complete freak and someone Rei will have nightmares for weeks after having met.

“Nagisa-kun, how do I know this guy is someone I can feel somewhat safe around? How do I know you don’t actually  _know_  this person, but just met them in the grocery store or something?”

Nagisa puts a hand on his chest and looks mock-offended. “How could you even think something like that about me? I’m serious, I know he’s a good guy. He likes cats, he has a kid the same age as Satoshi, and he’s got the back muscles of a godly being.”

“So why aren’t  _you_  trying to hook up with him, if you’ve stared at his back muscles so much?” Rei questions with a raised eyebrow. This entire thing is too fishy for him to just take the bait immediately — there  _has_  to be a catch. Maybe he’s  _obsessed_  with cats? Maybe he hoards them, and has an obscene amount of them stuffed up in his attic?

“Mako-chan may be hot, but he’s not really my type”, Nagisa replies with a shrug. “So I thought maybe he could be  _your_  type. Actually, no — I know he is. Which is why I want you to try and go on a date with him. Just once. Maybe more, hopefully, but try once. Please? I promise you can do whatever you want with me if things go horribly wrong.”

Rei shudders. “I greatly dislike your wording in that sentence.”

“That’s just your own imagination, I didn’t imply anything”, Nagisa says with a shrug.

Hanging out with Nagisa during all these years has really impacted him in a bad way, Rei realises, and sighs inwardly.

 

* * *

 

So with more than just a slight hesitance, Rei gives into his friend’s begging, which he more or less takes as a command since he knows Nagisa won’t give up otherwise. There has to be  _something_  good about this guy the way his blond friend keeps raving about him, so Rei decides to humour Nagisa with the stipulation that he babysits Satoshi while Rei’s gone for the night. Well, probably just a couple of hours at most, but still.

Despite everything, Rei actually feels a little nervous. He hasn’t been on a date, less so in a relationship, in several years. It isn’t as if he’s missed it; he’s been perfectly happy with it just being him and Satoshi during this time. And from what Rei can tell, his son hasn’t really been showing signs of missing out on having a second parent.

But for him to now finally get back into the swing of things feels weird, and he almost fears screwing up in some way, scaring his date off. Well, even if he does, things would still be the same way they were before he went. Rei doesn’t have anything to lose in this, so why not just give it a shot?

So Rei drives to the restaurant where he and this mysterious Makoto have been told to meet by Nagisa. He doesn’t really like how Nagisa plans out everything for them, it feels kind of ominous in a way, as if he knows something bad is going to happen. Rei tries to shake the weird thoughts off of him, and instead focuses on trying to find someone who matches the description Nagisa had given him while standing outside with his hands shoved down his pockets. Just to look casual, he tries to tell himself, but it’s more of a safety thing.

Apparently, this man named Tachibana Makoto is pretty tall. Not too tall, but taller than Rei, and that counts as tall in his opinion. He’s got brown hair, almost leaning towards olive green, and ‘super green eyes, almost like an emerald’, of course accompanied by a body Nagisa told Rei he wouldn’t be able to look past. The way Nagisa described Makoto to him tells the bespectacled man he’s about to have a date with God himself, but he’s pretty sure that won’t be the case.

When he sees a guy that matches Nagisa’s description, however, Rei almost chokes on his saliva. It isn’t that kind of first meeting that makes the whole world around you suddenly move in slow-motion and all other sounds go silent, but it’s pretty close. But the man walking up to the restaurant is absolutely  _gorgeous_ , and Rei has to literally tear his eyes away and look to the side so he won’t look like he’s blatantly staring. Which he was, and that wouldn’t be a good first impression.

The taller man walks up to him and clears his throat. “Hello… er, are you Rei?”

Rei looks at Makoto and swallows hard. “Yes, and I assume you are Makoto?”

Makoto nods and smiles, stretching out a hand. “Indeed. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise”, Rei almost stutters, and he finds this entire scene so  _cheesy_ , because it’s something you only see in films, yet it’s happening to him right now — stuttering and everything included. Makoto thankfully doesn’t seem to pay any mind to his clumsiness, and the two of them make their way inside the restaurant to the table Nagisa so kindly has reserved for them. It’s scary just how much Nagisa has prepared, really, but in a way, Rei isn’t surprised.

They get seated with a menu each, and when the waiter disappears, Rei almost wants to immediately bury his nose inside the menu, but refrains from doing so. He’s on a  _date_ , he’s supposed to be social, nice, outgoing and all those things that should make people fall for you. Does he want Makoto to fall for him? Does he want to fall for  _Makoto_? It’s too early to tell, but Rei can’t help but still think he doesn’t want to be in a relationship.

“So, Rei”, Makoto begins, and Rei looks up from his menu, “what do you do for a living?”

 _Ah, small-talk. Of course_ , he thinks, but decides to go along with it. “I work as a scientist at the laboratory just outside town. I can’t really talk about  _what_  I do since that information is classified, but that’s at least the gist of it. I apologise. What do you work with, Makoto?”

He could probably tell Makoto a  _little_  more without getting in trouble, but he decides not to. Telling Makoto he’s a scientist in general should be sufficient. Makoto probably already has his own perception of what scientists do, and Rei guesses it probably isn’t too far off. Well, maybe.

“I work as a fire fighter. Nothing  _too_  exciting, just putting out flames and rescuing kittens from trees.”

“So  _that’s_  where you got your affection for cats from. I heard from Nagisa-kun that you like cats, that’s why… in case you were wondering.”

Makoto laughs a little and scratches his ear. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“Do you have any cats of your own?”

The man on the opposite side of the table shakes his head. “I don’t, because I wouldn’t have time to take care of the cat for as often as I’m out of the house.”

“Ah, of course.”

 

* * *

Rei and Makoto decide on what they want to eat, and give their orders to the waiter who comes back after a few minutes. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the lighting creates a rather cosy atmosphere; it’s not too bright but not completely pitch dark, either. There’s almost a sensual kind of lighting, which Rei doesn’t know whether to find nice or a little bothersome.

During their dinner, the two of them talk about all things between heaven and earth. Rei finds it incredibly easy to talk to Makoto, he feels like the two of them really click, somehow. Maybe this blind date wasn’t such a bad idea, after all. Though Rei doesn’t think he should tell Nagisa that, because it would just be like pouring gasoline over an already raging fire.

When the two of them leave the restaurant, Rei's cheeks are a little sore from having smiled so much during the two hours they spent at the restaurant. He almost feels ashamed of having gone into this thing with a rather pessimistic mindset, thinking he wouldn’t want anything more out of it than just a dinner and to endure a bunch of small-talk. Sure, that’s what it had started out as, but became so much more near the end.

And Rei finds himself wanting to see Makoto again, wondering if Makoto’s experience has been at least half as enjoyable as his was. When Makoto’s offered to walk him home and they’re almost outside his house, Rei turns to face Makoto, swallowing most of his nervousness.

“Makoto, I... wanted to ask you something. It’s completely understandable if you say no, but I wanted to know if you—”

“I would love to”, Makoto blurts out, and Rei laughs.

“I haven’t finished my sentence yet”, he says, and detects a faint blush on Makoto’s cheeks.  _Ah, he’s beautiful_ , Rei thinks to himself, feeling a little more courageous. “But it seems like you understand what I was trying to get at, and I’m glad. Maybe we should get each other’s phone numbers to make it easier to set up a time and date?”

They stop right outside Rei’s house and switch phone numbers. Rei looks up at one of the lit windows, secretly hoping Nagisa has properly managed to get Satoshi into bed, since it’s way past his bedtime now. “I’ll text you whenever I know of a time and date for our next... date.”

Rei cringes inwardly at his clumsiness, but Makoto just laughs.

“That sounds like a good idea.”

In truth, Rei wants to see Makoto again tomorrow already, but he fears it might be far too soon for Makoto and him being too pushy, so he refrains from suggesting it.

“Okay. Well, I should probably go inside and relieve Nagisa-kun of his duties. I’ll... talk to you soon, Makoto.”

Makoto smiles at him, and then he steps closer to give Rei a kiss on the cheek. “I look forward to it.”

The spot where Makoto kissed him ends up feeling warm that entire night.

 

* * *

 

Rei drives from work to pick up Satoshi at school that Monday afternoon, having been unable to think of anything but his date with Makoto all day at work. Thankfully, his day hasn’t been too hectic, so it didn’t do much harm. But he fears it might, if this continues the same way.

Satoshi runs up to him as soon as he walks up to the school building. Some of the teachers passing him by greet him by either saying hello or simply waving.

“Dad, you’re late”, Satoshi points out with a little pout. Rei smiles and pats his son on the head.

“I’m sorry, I got held up in traffic. How was your day?”

The pout quickly turns into a grin. Satoshi heaves his bag strap further up on his shoulder. “I got a ninety-five on my maths test. Look!”

Satoshi presents Rei with a bunch of papers stapled together in the corner, and Rei sees the inked score in the top right. He smiles before bending down a little to hug his son.

“I’m so proud of you”, he mumbles and kisses Satoshi on the top of his head.

“I couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t helped me with my homework. So thank you, Dad.”

“Satoshi! Are you leaving?”

Both Rei and Satoshi turn around, and a boy about Satoshi’s age runs up to them. He bows in front of Rei. “Oh, hello, Ryuugazaki-san. I’m Tachibana Akira.”

“He’s in my class”, Satoshi fills in, and Rei nods.

“Hello, Akira-kun. It’s nice to meet one of my son’s friends.”

Wait, did he say—

“Akira! Ah, there you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Rei doesn’t even have to turn around to recognise the soruce of the voice. His heart nearly skips a beat when he sees the man coming up to them, and Makoto seems taken aback as well.

“Rei?”

“What a coincidence”, Rei says with a smile. “It seems our sons are in the same class. Who would’ve thought?”

Makoto laughs. “This certainly is quite a coincidence. Oh, and since I already have you here, I have to ask — and forgive me if it’s embarrassing to do this in front of our sons, but... Would you like to go out with me again this coming weekend? Saturday?”

Rei raises his eyebrows, having wanted to ask the same thing but being afraid Makoto would think it was too soon. Gladly, he didn’t seem alone in wanting to see the other man so soon. “I would love to.”

“I’ll come pick you up at six, and we can have Nagisa take care of both of our boys. What do you say?”

“I like the sound of that. Would you want to come over to Akira-kun’s house to play next Saturday, Satoshi?”

Satoshi nods with a smile. “Yeah!”

And Rei can’t wait for the rest of this week to pass in the blink of an eye so he can see Makoto again.


	31. MakoRin / SouHaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: A double date at an amusement park that goes hilariously wrong.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“This is a bad idea.”

“I know.”

“Why did we agree to this, again?”

“I don’t know.”

Sousuke isn’t one for amusement parks. He finds them too crowded, there’s too much going on, and he doesn’t go on rides, either. It’s not like he’s scared —  _god_  no — but he just doesn’t see the point in them. They’re not funny, they’re not ‘thrilling’, they’re just bothersome. Gladly, Haruka has a similar opinion. But the other couple on this double date are their exact opposites. Well, Rin is; Makoto seems to just go along because his boyfriend wants him to.  _Bless that man’s heart_ , Sousuke thinks to himself.

He and Haruka are standing by one of the food stands, waiting for Makoto and Rin to come back from one of the rides. It’s apparently one of those that goes rather high up in the air and very fast, too, and Sousuke’s really glad he isn’t up there with them right now. Again, he’s not scared, he just doesn’t want to go on rides.

(He’s absolutely terrified.)

“I’ll bet a hundred yen on Rin suggesting the two of them go into that haunted house”, Sousuke says, stealing a takoyaki from his boyfriend’s skewer as he isn’t paying attention. Haru glares at him for a second, but then shrugs.

“Rin would be scared of that, too, so I don’t know. But okay, I’ll bet against you for the fun of it.”

Sousuke immediately regrets his decision when Haru’s finished talking, but is at the same time glad he’s only bet a hundred and not a thousand yen on something he’s probably going to lose in the end. They stand around watching people pass them by for a few minutes, and soon enough, the other half of their weird group returns. Rin has a huge grin on his face, and Makoto looks like he’s just seen a UFO land in front of him.

“That was  _awesome_!”

“Please let me stay down here with you guys”, Makoto begs to Haru, and Sousuke bursts out laughing.

“You should be a little more gentle with your boyfriend, Rin.”

Rin waves him off dismissively. “It wasn’t  _that_  bad of a ride; he’s exaggerating, really. But I’ve promised I’d go with him on that love boat thing as compensation.”

Haru gives his best friend a pointed look, and Makoto laughs sheepishly. “At least it won’t be scary”, he tries, but Haru’s expression doesn’t change.

Again, Sousuke’s really glad he’s dating someone like Haruka, someone who  _isn’t_  going to drag him onto every goddamn ride in this amusement park. It’s probably not possible to pull off in one day, anyway, since there are pretty long lines, at least to the most popular ones.

“Are you two just gonna stand here all day while we go and have fun?” Rin asks before taking a sip from his water bottle. Sousuke and Haruka exchange looks, and they both shrug.

“Pretty much”, Sousuke replies. “I don’t mind. If Haruka wants to do something, then I guess I’d go.”

He knows that’s not going to happen, which is why he can say it with such certainty. Again, the wonders of dating such a laid-back person. Rin just snorts and rolls his eyes. “Fine, then we’ll leave you two killjoys here while we go on this… wonderful love boat ride. Should be fun.”

“Careful with the sarcasm, Rin. You might overuse it.”

Rin flips him off before he and Makoto go hand in hand towards the big love boat ride’s line, which isn’t that long. Sousuke doesn’t even have to wonder why.

“I’m thirsty, I’ll go get something to drink. You want something?”

“Water.”

Sousuke feels dumb for having thought his boyfriend would actually suggest something else. He tells Haru to wait there in case Rin and Makoto come back, and leaves for the stalls.

 

* * *

 

The line up to the Ramune stall is  _ridiculously_  long, but it somehow doesn’t stop Sousuke from stubbornly standing there and waiting for his turn. He’s been craving green apple flavoured Ramune for a long time, and now when he’s able to get it, he’s  _going_  to get it no matter what.

He’s probably not in that much of a hurry, anyway, seeing as that stupid love boat ride’s gonna take ages to finish. Even so... Haru’s probably waiting for his water, so he shouldn’t take  _too_  long making his way back.

But when Sousuke does come back to that park bench they’d just been standing by, Haruka isn’t there. Sousuke tries to think back to just a few minutes ago; had he told Haruka to stay put or left that out? No, he’s pretty sure he  _did_  say to stay there in case the others were to come back. So where on Earth could Haru have gone?

He starts walking around the park area, but he doesn’t want to get too astray at the same time, so he keeps the bench as his beacon while searching the grounds for his disobedient boyfriend. He couldn’t have made it  _too_  far unless he ran, but that’s uncharacteristic of Haru who thinks of such activities as ‘too much effort’. So Haru having actually ran away from there is out of the question, which makes it a  _little_  easier for Sousuke to figure out where he might’ve gone off to.

And it’s when he walks by a fountain that he sees it. A black-haired head sticking out of the water, and children standing by the sides pointing down at it.

“Mum, look! There’s someone  _swimming_  in there, can we swim, too?”

“No, honey — I don’t think that’s allowed.”

 _Of course it isn’t_ , Sousuke thinks to himself as he feels both panic and frustration creep up on him. What if someone comes and throws Haru out? What would Sousuke do, follow him or wait for Rin and Makoto? Who knows where else Haru would go if he were to be left alone again?

Sousuke runs up to the fountain and puts his hands on the edge. “Haruka, get out of there right now. You’re drawing attention to yourself.”

Haru offers him a shrug. “You were too slow. I told you I needed water.”

“Yeah, to  _drink_ , not to swim in!”

“Same thing.”

He slaps his hand over his forehead and sighs exasperatedly, just as his phone rings. When he sees Rin’s name on the screen, Sousuke furrows his eyebrows even deeper.

“Rin?”

“ _Okay, don’t freak out on me and don’t get mad, but I lost Makoto_.”

“What?!”

“ _Calm down! So I told him we were going to the love boat thing, and initially we were — but then I saw the haunted house—_ ”

Sousuke curses inwardly. “I think I just lost a bet.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Nothing. Okay, listen. Come and help me get Haru out of the fucking fountain, and then we’ll go look for Makoto. Don’t ask, just come. The big fountain behind the Paris wheel.”

 

* * *

 

The red-haired bastard actually  _laughs_  when he approaches them and sees Haru still bathing in the fountain, clothes still on and everything. Sousuke feels like his entire world is crumbling beneath his feet and that he’s going to fall down into hell where he’ll meet Satan, who’s going to mock him for the rest of his miserable life that he’ll have to spend down there. Because worse luck than this is hard to find, he’s sure of it.

“How the hell did this even  _happen_? Haru, get out of there — we have to find Makoto.”

Haru glares up at them. “Where’s Makoto?”

“No idea, that’s why we have to find him. Just get out — you might get arrested, you know.”

With reluctance, Haru climbs out of the fountain and crosses his arms. Water is dripping from his shirt and shorts, but Sousuke thinks he’s deserved it. He probably thinks so, too, but in a different way. The three of them leave the area to try and find Makoto, but neither Sousuke or Rin know where to look. After they’ve walked around the area for what feels like at least an hour, Haru finally suggests ‘some place where there are cats’, and while Sousuke thinks amusement parks probably don’t have places like that, he’s soon proven to be wrong.

Because there’s actually these little houses where they have animals, further inside the amusement park. It honestly reminds Sousuke more of a fair than anything; sort of like an amusement park, but with a more ‘country’ feel to it. With... animals. And of course, cats. They find Makoto sitting down petting one of the kittens, and he turns around when he hears footsteps.

“Ha—Haru, why are you  _wet_?!”

“Can we talk about that when we get the hell out of here? Tachibana, why are you here in the first place?”

Makoto puts down the kitten and sighs before turning to glare at Rin. “Because my wonderful boyfriend took me to the haunted—”

“I know, but why couldn’t you just have gone back to the spot where Haruka and I were waiting for you guys? Maybe you could’ve prevented him from jumping into the fountain.”

“He did?!”

“Yes, but that’s beside the— oh my  _god_ , can we just get out of here before I lose my mind?”

 

* * *

 

Makoto, Rin, Haruka and Sousuke leave the amusement park grounds and start walking back to Haru’s house. Mainly because he really needs to get into some dry clothes, but also because his house is the biggest for them all to hang out at. All Sousuke can think of is the fact that he never,  _ever_  wants to go to an amusement park again, let alone a double date. This was the very definition of a bad idea, and he isn’t surprised he had to experience it, because that’s just his type of luck.

When Haru’s gotten into dry clothes back at his house, Makoto explains everything, and Sousuke smacks his best friend on the back of his head. Sousuke also tells the other two why his boyfriend probably went off on his own to find water, and that it didn’t matter whether or not he drank it or immersed himself in it.

“Let’s just agree to never go on a double date ever again. No offence”, Sousuke says and sighs.

“For once, I agree with you”, Rin replies and leans back against the wall behind him. Haru taps Sousuke on his knee, and Sousuke looks at his boyfriend next to him.

“What.”

“You owe me a hundred yen.”


	32. MakoRei #10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: I’m a super villain, and you’re a therapist I kidnapped because I need someone to talk to.**
> 
>  
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I'd get so many MakoRei requests, to be honest. So the fact that this is the tenth one (and not even the last one in my drafts) is a nice surprise.

With his heart racing in his chest and his throat feeling like sandpaper, Rei is absolutely terrified. As to how he’s ended up in this situation is… a story he probably won’t tell others, save for maybe the police if they manage to save him.

He’d been on his way to work that morning as usual, but something felt very… odd, as he got into his car and started it. Just as he was about to drive out from his driveway, he feels something cold and hard against his right temple, and when he sees what the item is in the rear-view mirror, Rei completely freezes.

A man is sitting in the back of his car, pointing a gun at Rei’s head. He doesn’t dare to move, let alone breathe,and just sits there, waiting for something to happen. He just hopes that  _something_  won’t mean him ending up with his brains blown out of his head.

What does this man want from him? Has Rei treated him before? He can’t recall ever having seen the man before, and he has a pretty good facial memory.

“Drive”, the man finally commands, and Rei just obeys. He drives out of his driveway, hoping there’ll be at least someone outside who can bother peeking into his car and maybe call the police. Because obviously, he isn’t able to do that himself. He just drives, doesn’t ask where to, doesn’t stop.

“Drive to work”, the man behind him says, and Rei flinches. “And call off all of your appointments today.”

With one hand on the steering wheel, Rei uses the other to call his receptionist on his phone sitting in the docking station. There’s really no room for him to protest with an armed man in the back seat, so all he can do is obey orders at this point. He isn’t even surprised that this guy just  _knows_  he’s a guy who has appointments all day; he probably knows Rei works as a therapist, too.

When she answers the phone, Rei almost feels like crying. “ _Ryuugazaki’s office, how may I help you?_ ”

He swallows the lump in his throat. “Good morning, Sakagami-san. I just called to ask you to cancel all of my appointments today.”

“ _Ryuugazaki-san? Oh… but are you sure?_ ”

“Positive.”

She still doesn’t sound convinced, and why should she? Rei has never done this before, in all of the years he’s been working in that same office with the same receptionist. “ _If you say so. Are you… coming into the office?_ ”

Maybe she’s sensing that something’s wrong? Rei has never been a good liar, and it probably transfers to voice only, too. “I am. I have some paperwork that needs to be done. So you can head on home for the day, I’ll… be fine. See you tomorrow, Sakagami-san.”

“ _Okay… have a good day, Ryuugazaki-san. And take care_.”

Sakagami  _definitely_  knows something’s up. Rei doesn’t really have time to think about that now; all he hopes is that she’s gone by the time he and his hostage taker — or kidnapper? — arrives.

He parks outside the large building he’s so used to driving to every day, and then sits and waits for further orders. The man in the back seat stirs a bit, and Rei holds his breath.

“This is where you work?”

“Yes.”

“Right. Well, I probably shouldn’t walk around with  _this_  thing” — he waves the gun for Rei to see in the rear-view mirror — “but just know that I do have it, and if you try to escape, you’re a dead man.”

“Understood.”

Rei is instructed to walk out of the car normally, up into the building and into his office on the second floor. He usually doesn’t take the lift, but guesses it’ll probably be for the best now, as it would take less time than taking the stairs.

The entrance floor isn’t empty, but it isn’t very much crowded, either. Rei walks inside, probably a little  _too_  stiffly, and he and his kidnapper make their way to the lifts.

“Fancy place”, the man comments. Rei stays silent, just watching the digits fall above the door to the lift they’ve stopped in front of. It feels like it’s counting down the seconds to his death. 4… 3… 2… 1… On legs feeling like overcooked pasta, Rei walks in, and the man follows. The doors close, and he heaves a shaky sigh.

“No need to be so scared, I’m not actually gonna shoot you. This is just a scare tactic, really.”

“Oh I’m plenty scared, alright. Good job.” Even in this situation when he’s terrified for his life, Rei can’t hold back his sarcastic comments. He curses inwardly at himself, but the man actually  _laughs_. For some morbid reason, Rei likes his laugh. It doesn’t sound mean.

“A shrink with humour, I like that.”

Yeah, a sense of humour that might get him  _killed_ , that’s for sure. He doesn’t care what the guy says, Rei is still scared shitless as long as there’s a gun present.

 

* * *

 

Rei and Mr. Gun Holder arrive on his floor, and they make their way through the little hallway, past the reception where Sakagami no longer sits, and up to his door where he stops to fish out his keys out of his pocket with shaky hands that continue to shake as he tries to open the door.

“Jeez, Ryuugazaki — I told you to calm down.”

“It’s not that easy”, he bites back as he finally manages to unlock and open the door. He almost waits for the man to walk in before him as he would with any client, but then remembers he’s literally got a  _gun_  poking him in the back, and he walks inside with it following him along, and the door soon closing and locking behind them.

The guy said he wouldn’t shoot Rei, but can he really trust someone when it comes to something like that? What if he  _really_  messes up, what if he does something that changes the man’s mind? There’s no telling that such a thing  _wouldn’t_  happen, and he’s almost frozen with fear over what he should and shouldn’t do.

The gun disappears from behind his back, and Rei feels as if someone’s unlocked a shackle around his neck. He exhales slowly, shakily, in the corner of his eye watching the man as he takes the client seat, twirling his pistol between his thumb, index and middle fingers.

“Why are you still standing?”

Rei flinches. “Oh, I—”

“Why do you think I brought you here, for a casual chat?”

Wait, he needs a  _therapist_? Rei blinks in confusion as he watches the man completely normally sit in the chair in front of the one he always sits in, and he’s too shocked to move, still.

“So? Sit. I’m in need of consultation.”

This time, he finds it in him to actually move away from his spot, and Rei takes his place in his chair. He clears his throat and tries to stop himself from trembling by taking a deep breath that isn’t wavering anymore. “Okay”, he begins, “what… do you want to talk about? What is bothering you?”

The brunet hums and leans back. His green eyes glitter in the light seeping through the blinds, and Rei finds it absolutely beautiful, almost mesmerising. “I want to quit this. This entire… villain business. I want to start over. But I don’t know how. This is what I’ve grown up with, you know? Always the same thing over and over.”

Rei nods slowly. This situation is so incredibly odd and scary, and he doesn’t quite know how to handle it. But he decides to try without being too pushy, and see where it goes. He hasn’t been given too much to work with, after all, so all he can do is improvise. “What is it that you… do, er…?”

“Tachibana”, the man fills in before he shrugs. “Eh, a bit of everything. Bank robberies, kidnappings”, he gestures towards Rei, who shudders, “honestly — name a crime and I’ve probably committed it.”

His heart races in his chest, and Rei can’t believe he’s asking this, but he is. “Have you ever… killed a person?”

“No. That’s one thing you can cross off the list. I’m not going to off someone, no matter what. See, the thing is… whenever I’ve done something, it’s been for someone else. I robbed banks because people needed money to pay back loans or they’d get themselves killed. I kidnapped people because those who got kidnapped wanted to. For several reasons. The bottom line is, I never did anything for myself. And at first, I was okay with it, because it meant I could help people in making their lives easier. But it sure didn’t make  _my_  life easier.”

Rei nods and processes all of the information he’s been told. This is certainly not something you hear about every day, actually — Rei’s pretty sure he’s _never_  heard of such a selfless villain ever. Even calling Tachibana a villain feels wrong in that sense, because while he’s breaking the law, he’s also doing something to help others. He’s doing good things in a bad way, essentially.

“So… what do you want to do now?” Rei asks. Tachibana shrugs almost helplessly. Rei thinks he almost looks smaller like this, less dangerous, more like any person you’d meet on the streets.

“I don’t know, that’s the thing. Maybe pick up education again and get myself a proper career that’ll benefit me somehow, and not just everyone else around me. You know? But then there’s that whole thing with me being put behind bars if I do try to pursue further education, too.”

“While I may not know the legalities of everything that’s outside my field, I am pretty certain you would be able to come to some sort of deal with the police. Maybe you could still study while in prison? I have heard of people who’ve done the same thing. It would be a good way for you to atone for your… deeds, and also pursue whatever education you desire.”

Tachibana snorts. “And you think prison education would be the same as going to an actual university? Don’t think so.”

“It would be a start”, Rei tries. “And when you come out, you could probably always continue said education at a proper university. I’m only trying to help you out, because I don’t know how those things would actually work. My expertise lies within psychology and the human mind, not with law and education.”

Tachibana actually  _laughs_ , and he shakes his head. “Yeah, figures. I don’t know, I… I might do it. I’ll see. Can’t guarantee anything, but maybe.”

And a maybe is definitely good enough for Rei, as long as it isn’t a ‘no’.

 

* * *

 

The man named Tachibana keeps on rambling about his life, and Rei listens to him without interrupting. He actually finds himself less scared of the man with a gun next to him on the side table, and wonders if this is what Stockholm syndrome means. Having originally met a villain who pointed a gun to his temple, Rei now sits in front of a man who’s scared of the dark, loves cats and wants to quit being a criminal only to pursue further education and get a normal life.

Soon enough, the office falls quiet. Rei hasn’t had any conception of time since he’d been instructed to drive to work and cancel all of his appointments, too scared to even look down at his wristwatch. Now that he does, he sees that it’s way past lunchtime already, and he wonders how time could’ve passed so quickly when he’s been scared for his life for the majority of the time.

“Well”, Tachibana says and gets up from his chair with a stretch and a yawn, “I think I’ve taken up enough of your time by now. I think you know the drill, but in case you don’t—”

“—don’t call the police as soon as you’re gone, don’t  _ever_  call the police about this, don’t talk to anyone about it, either. Yeah, I think I’ve seen enough action films to know the drill.”

Tachibana laughs again. “Funny guy. Actually, I don’t care whether you do or not. It’s probably for the best if I do get caught and finally get to atone for my sins, or whatever you’d call it. I think you may have changed my mind on some things, and I’m glad I picked you to be my involuntary therapist.”

The words sound so odd coming from someone like Tachibana; a rather large and muscular man, but someone who also doesn’t strike Rei as a criminal with the way his eyes look so kind and gentle, the way his laugh makes Rei’s heart skip a beat.

Hadn’t this guy just kidnapped him? Yeah, this is  _definitely_  a bad case of the Stockholm syndrome.

“Thanks for the talk, Ryuugazaki. Sorry about this entire thing, I just… didn’t know how else I’d get a hold of someone to talk to.”

Rei shakes his head. He gets up and walks to his desk to pull a business card out of one of the drawers, and then proceeds to hand it to the taller man. “Take my card. If you ever want to talk again, don’t… break into my car. Just call me.”

Tachibana chuckles. “Sure, I’ll think about it.”

And when he’s left, Rei sits down by his desk with a heavy sigh. To say that today has been a weird day is a vast understatement, and he’ll definitely remember it for as long as he lives, for several reasons, and he both hopes that Tachibana does and  _doesn’t_  contact him again.


	33. MakoRin #16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "I’ve been travelling a lot and somehow you’re in every single city I go to — seriously what the fuck who even are you and how are you doing this?”**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin is an experienced traveller; his first trip abroad having been to Australia, where he spent four years studying and swimming. Ever since, he’s developed an interest to go to as many places as he can, and with the career he’s pursuing, travelling all over the place has already started to become like eating breakfast for him. The travelling part doesn’t excite him, but reaching and exploring his destination does.

Having grown up in Tottori and never really gone outside of said prefecture has really distorted Rin’s image of how big Japan really is, and he’s recently started to fix this issue. At the current time, Rin is about to board his flight to Sapporo, where he’ll spend the weekend at his best friend’s family’s country house. Said friend, Sousuke, is a scaredy cat when it comes to flying, so of course, Rin is his safety on the plane.

“What is it about flying that scares you so much?” he asks, and Sousuke grunts, averting his gaze out the window.

“I hate the lift-off and landing part. It makes me feel sick.”

“Huh. Well, I’m here, in case you need me to hold your hand or something.”

“Fuck off”, Sousuke snarls, and Rin laughs.

A very tame lift-off, a short flight and a not too bumpy landing later, they’ve landed at Okadama Airport in Sapporo, and head towards the baggage claim. There’s an abundance of people walking in front of them, and the pace they’re walking in makes Rin wonder if he’ll grow grey hairs on his head by the time they reach the baggage claim hall. Sousuke’s agitated about it, too, as he keeps making annoyed noises and sighing, sometimes making heads turn his way and earning him angry looks.

When they stand and wait for their suitcases to arrive, Rin sits on the edge of the still not moving conveyor belt and observes the people around him. It doesn’t seem to be a lot of foreigners, just people either from the country visiting much like himself, or people returning back home.

As he scans the crowd, his eyes fall on a particular man who stands out from the rest somehow. It isn’t that he’s dressed funnily, or that his hair is of an absurd colour, he’s just...  _really_  beautiful. He’s rather tall; taller than Rin but shorter than Sousuke, and from what Rin can see beneath the honestly very figure-hugging t-shirt the man’s wearing, he’s very muscular. Brown hair, green eyes and an air to him that says “I’m an angel who fell down onto Earth”.

Before Rin has time to start drooling over the mystery man, the signal goes off that lets him know their baggage is about to arrive and that he should probably get off the conveyor belt. He only takes his eyes off the man for a second, but when he looks back again, he’s gone. Rin curses inwardly and turns his attention to the end of the conveyor belt to try and find his and Sousuke’s bags.

 

* * *

 

Rin and Sousuke's weekend is full of eating, sunbathing and swimming in Lake Shikotsu. It’s exactly the kind of break Rin needs, and even though it  _does_  involve swimming, it definitely isn’t the same as the competitive swimming he does pretty much every day when he isn’t on break. Well, apart from that one time he raced Sousuke over what kind of pizza they’d order for dinner one night.

But as it’s only a weekend trip, Rin finds himself back at home in Iwatobi far too soon, packing for his next trip, which is to Fukuoka. It feels a little wrong of him to think that Sousuke’s probably glad he isn’t pursuing the same dream as Rin is, because of all the flying that comes with it. It isn’t Sousuke’s fault; fate just had other things in store for him.

Gou:  _Good luck at the Fukuoka tournament, onii-chan! Sending you my best all the way from here at home. You’ll probably get a text like this very often from now on, but just bear with it, hehe. Love you!_

 

He smiles a little at his phone, having just turned it on again after a three and a half hour flight with one stop in between. This time, he’s flying with his team mates and not Sousuke, and it obviously feels very different. He does get along with them, though, so it isn’t awkward, which is a good thing.

When the team make their way out of the airport, they have a bus to wait for that’ll take them to their hotel for the night. And when he walks over to the vending machine to get himself a can of coke, Rin thinks he sees  _him_  again. Brown hair, tall figure, the only difference is his clothes, but otherwise, it’s the same guy. Or is it? Rin blinks, thinking he’s just seeing things, and of course —  the man has disappeared when he opens his eyes again.

Yep, just seeing things.

 

* * *

 

But that’s just the thing; Rin is becoming more and more convinced that he  _isn’t_  seeing things and that this guy has to be either following  _him_ , or it’s the other way around. Whatever it is, it’s both creeping him out and intriguing him at the same time. Having been to Fukuoka, he’s now been to Nagasaki and Niigata as well, and he’s seen him there, too. First at the airport in Sapporo, the bus stop in Fukuoka, outside a Seven-Eleven in Nagasaki and outside that weird tourist shop in Niigata... it can’t possibly be a coincidence.

Rin has travelled to almost half the prefectures in Japan at this point, and he’s seen this guy wherever he’s gone. What’s  _with_  him? Is he stalking Rin? He can’t imagine himself being  _that_  famous... and even so, having seen this person wherever he’s been for the past few months is beyond weird. It’s creepy, but... somehow, the redhead can’t help but be intrigued.

Niigata having landed his team a second place, their next stop a few weeks later is Miyagi. In the end, Rin isn’t able to keep it all to himself, so he calls Sousuke and tells him almost everything. At least everything important. And of course, his asshole best friend just laughs at him.

“ _Rin, I think you might be going insane_ ”, Sousuke says and tries to stifle his laughter, but fails. Rin scoffs.

“Fuck you, this is  _serious_! Honestly, he’s probably stalking me. What other explanation is there?”

“ _Well, either he’s a creepy stalker, or you really are seeing things and should seek a mental hospital or something for those issues you seem to be having. Or maybe it’s about time you get glasses_.”

Rin cringes. “I  _so_  wouldn’t look good in glasses.”

“ _Contact lenses, then_.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight!”

Sousuke takes a deep breath and sighs, having finally stopped laughing. “ _Okay, so maybe it’s fate, then. That red string of fate bullcrap people always talk about. Maybe it’s an elastic string that keeps wanting to retract and bring you guys together again. If anyone should believe stuff like this, it’s you, since you’re the romantic_.”

The red-haired man makes a mental note to flip his best friend off the next time he sees him in person.

 

* * *

 

Miyagi prefecture is his final stop before the long break, and Rin can’t wait for this long tour around the country to be over. Not to be misunderstood; he absolutely loves swimming and winning, but he’s been doing nothing  _but_  swimming and travelling for the past two months. It’s exhausting to say the least, and all he really wants is to be able to unpack his stuff properly and sleep in his own bed for more than just two consecutive nights.

Their hotel in Sendai is a little less nice than the one in Niigata, but it’s still liveable. At least the bistro food makes up for its mediocre standards, which is honestly a life saver as neither of Rin’s team mates — including himself — feels like going around town to look for a place to eat dinner.

As is a tradition for Rin the night before a race, he goes down to the reception to buy himself a can of Coke. The team all have rooms on the eighth floor, so it takes him some time to get down, but just a he steps out of the lift, he stops in his tracks, eyes going wide and his jaw dropping.

His so-called stalker is standing in front of the lift, waiting to go inside. Maybe he doesn’t recognise Rin, after all? But then why has he been to every goddamn place Rin has been to in the past few months?

“Oi, I’ve... seen you before”, he says slowly, still not having quite processed it. The man looks at him and blinks in confusion before it seems to click for him, too.

“Wait, I’ve— I’ve seen you, too! You’ve been in Sapporo, right?”

“And Niigata.”

“And Fukuoka?”

“Holy shit”, Rin breathes, “it’s true. Why... why are you  _following_  me?!”

The brunet in front of him snorts a laugh. “I should ask you the same thing! Hey, are you heading somewhere? Don’t mean to keep you or anything.”

Rin shrugs. “Nah, just heading to the reception to get a drink. You?”

“Oh, I just... came back to get back up to my room. Mind if I join you?”

Of course he doesn’t mind being joined by someone as  _hot_  as this guy. Wait, Rin doesn’t even know his name, what kind of a guy is he to just rudely drag him along to the reception without having the courtesy of introducing himself first?”

“By the way”, he says, clearing his throat, “I’m Rin.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rin”, the guy smiles, “I’m Makoto. So, I have something to ask, and I hope you don’t find it creepy.”

“Go on.”

The two of them walk over to the reception, and Rin buys them both soft drinks, blatantly ignoring Makoto’s protests and the money he offers for a petty can of Coke. They sit down in the armchairs just outside the reception, Rin being thankful that the area’s empty now compared to earlier.

“Are you a swimmer?”

Rin nods, a little baffled. “Don’t tell me you are, too.”

“I am.”

“Wow. Well, I guess... that explains... stuff. But why the hell were you in Sapporo when there wasn’t even a tournament there?”

“I visited my cousins”, Makoto says and laughs. “It seems our teams are both doing pretty well considering the fact that it seems we’ve been to the same tournaments.”

“Yeah. So where are you from, Makoto?”

"Kyoto. You?”

“Tottori. Wow, that’s like... a four and a half hour ride by train.”

Whatever the hell he means to imply with that, Rin doesn’t know, and hopes Makoto won’t guess, either.

“It is.”

He and Makoto talk for what feels like hours, and it probably ends up being something like that, because at some point, Makoto looks at his wristwatch and gasps. “Oh no, I should—  _we_  should probably go to sleep soon. We have a race tomorrow, remember?”

Rin gets up from his armchair and stretches with a yawn. “Right, I almost forgot.”

Makoto laughs again, something Rin could  _definitely_  get used to hearing. “How could you  _forget_  why you’re here?”

 _Maybe because of the company_ , he thinks, but doesn’t let the thought go past his lips. He and Makoto discard their long since finished cans of soda, and head for the lifts.

“So, I guess we’ll be rivals tomorrow, huh”, Rin says as they get into the lift.

“I guess so. Does that mean it’s forbidden for us to exchange numbers?”

His heart skips a beat, but he makes sure not to make it too noticeable in the way he acts. “Probably not. It’s just for tomorrow, anyway. And... maybe if we race each other again.”

“I hope we do”, Makoto says, and Rin has to clench his fist so hard he digs his nails into his palm in order to not completely jump Makoto and make out with him. Because  _man_ , he’s hot. Not only that, he’s funny, cute and very interesting. Rin would definitely see him again, and maybe not in a place like this. His bed is a good place for a ‘meet’, but it’s probably far too soon to even think of making such a suggestion.

The two of them get the other’s phone number just as the lift stops on Rin’s floor. He stands by the door and shoots Makoto a grin.

“I’m glad I solved the mystery of my weird stalker tonight”, he says, and Makoto snorts, smiling.

“Well, same here. See you tomorrow, Rin. I won’t lose, you know.”

“That’s my line”, he replies. “Good night, Makoto.”

Usually, he’d hate the way his entire body feels hot as he walks through the corridor to reach his hotel room, but this time, it’s a nice feeling, reminding him of how you feel when you take your first sip of a soda.


	34. MakoRin #17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto and Rin are trying to keep their relationship a secret, but then Nagisa finds them making out behind Samezuka.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“You  _do_  know you’re practically fraternising with the enemy now, right?”

Makoto laughs nervously as Rin immediately goes back to kissing his neck. “W-well, the same goes for you, obviously.”

Rin has managed to get Sousuke out of their room for the day, so he and Makoto can have it all to themselves. He doesn’t know where Sousuke went off to, but Rin guesses he’s at the gym or something. It doesn’t really matter, since he’s got Makoto all to himself for a while. 

He pushes Makoto down onto the bed, once again reminded by how glad he is he’s got the bottom bunk, because it saves him and Makoto a lot of time and effort. Besides, having to climb up there would definitely ruin their moment, so Rin’s glad his luck in rock-paper-scissors didn’t fail him this time, either.

“R-Rin…”

The redhead’s hands roam Makoto’s upper body and slip in under his shirt. Makoto bites his lower lip and exhales a moan through his nose as Rin lightly pinches his nipples. “Like it?”

“Yes”, Makoto wheezes as Rin moves further down. “But we… probably shouldn’t go any f-further in case Yamazaki-kun comes— ah!”

His babbling is cut short when Rin’s pulled Makoto’s trousers down and started mouthing at the growing erection inside his underwear, leaving moist marks here and there as he goes. Makoto tilts his head back against the pillow and moans breathlessly while Rin continues to tease his boyfriend. He knows they can’t go all the way right now, because Sousuke won’t be gone forever.

Knowing he doesn’t have  _all_  the time in the world, Rin removes the last piece of fabric in the way, pulling it down and without missing a beat taking Makoto in. His boyfriend gasps above him, and Rin has to resist smiling while he has a dick in his mouth. He takes Makoto in slowly, inch by inch, and then takes it back out, after which Makoto releases a disappointed sound. This time, Rin actually does laugh.

“Don’t like my teasing?”

“No”, Makoto whines. “Just get on with it. I want to repay the favour before your roommate comes back.”

Right, Sousuke lives here. Rin gets back to where he was, starting to bob his head up and down faster. It doesn’t take him long to get annoyed by his hair being in the way, so he takes Makoto’s cock out of his mouth once again to pull his hair back in a ponytail. Makoto giggles.

“I think you need to trim it a little.”

“Mhmm”, is all Rin manages, and then whatever Makoto was going to say dissipates into thin air as it’s instead replaced by him moaning with a hand over his mouth.

It doesn’t take too long for Makoto to come, and before Rin even has time to prepare himself — thankfully, he’d at least been allowed to  _swallow_  first — Makoto pulls him up so he can, as he said himself, return the favour.

 

* * *

 

**Makoto** :  _I’m upset, because we can’t use the pool at school today due to renovations, and ITSC is full booked. I want to swim! Funny, I think that’s something you’d hear from Haru more often, huh_.

 

Rin snorts and smiles a little at his phone as he’s walking down the hill to the pool for practice, slightly behind his teammates.

 **You** :  _Be here in two hours and I can race you if you want. It’s been a while, after all_.

 

“Oi, be careful you don’t walk into a lamppost or something”, a warning voice tells Rin, and he looks up. No, there’s not anything like that in sight; nothing that could make him trip or for him to slam his head into as he walks. Rin glares at Sousuke next to him.

“Funny guy.”

“Why do you and Tachibana insist on keeping things secret? I mean, they’ve  _got_  to at least have realised you guys have a thing for each other, right?”

Rin sighs. “I guess it’s because we both don’t want things to get weird between us and the others. I’m from a different school and team, after all.”

“But you’re  _their_  friend, too, right? And if anything, I would’ve thought Nanase was all about Tachibana’s happiness, and wouldn’t that be you now that you two are shagging?”

“ _Dating_ ”, Rin corrects, and Sousuke chuckles. “And I... don’t know what Haru would think. Honestly, he’s probably too protective of Haru to even let  _me_  date him. I don’t know, like I said, I don’t wanna risk anything.”

Sousuke shrugs. “Whatever, man. I’d just think it’d be a pain in the ass to keep hiding stuff from people who’re supposed to friends, you know.”

He’s almost positive he hears Sousuke wanting to add “ _friends tell each other everything_ ”, but he doesn’t say it out loud. Friends  _should_  tell each other everything, but that doesn’t mean they always do. Rin and Sousuke are prime examples of that themselves, which is why Rin thinks Sousuke refrained from saying it.

Practice ends up consisting of him trying to cut his freestyle times shorter, and yelling at Momo to choose between talking or swimming and not doing both. The kid’s a good swimmer alright, but he needs to get his mind into swimming as well, not just his body and muscles.

"Right, that’s all for today”, Rin says as the team is all gathered around him again. “We don’t have long to go until prefecturals, so we need to keep our game up in order to make it past that. Our ultimate goal is nationals, after all.”

“Yes, captain!”

He grins. “Good. See you tomorrow!”

 

* * *

 

"You sure you wanna wait here alone?”

Rin sighs in exasperation and waves his best friend off dismissively. “I’ll be fine! He’s going to be here any second, anyway. I’m sure he’s just making sure everyone’s gone before he appears. Even you. So go.”

Sousuke snorts and shrugs. “Whatever.” He starts walking away from the building towards the dorms, but then turns around again. “I still think you should tell the others.”

“Mind your own business and concentrate on not getting lost on your way back instead”, Rin responds with a teasing tone, and Sousuke flips him off before walking away.

Rin shoves his hands into the pockets on his jacket and leans against the wall. He’s not worried Makoto’s going to be late; Makoto’s pretty much always on time, unless there’s something actually hindering him. He’s flattered to know that not even kittens could stop Makoto from making it in time to see Rin.

"Rin! I hope you didn’t wait long!”

He turns his head to see Makoto walking up to him with long strides, and smiles. “Nah, it’s fine. So, ready to lose against me, Tachibana? 200 metres, and I’ll let you pick swimming stroke.”

Makoto raises an amused eyebrow at him as he stops in front of him and kisses Rin on his cheek. “Well, I haven’t seen your backstroke in a while.”

“Deal. I’m going to beat you  _so_  hard, Makoto. Be prepared.”

“Well, likewise”, the brunet says and laughs.

 

* * *

 

Makoto wins. He  _wins_ , and Rin stands by the pool’s edge, jaw dropped and eyebrows having skyrocketed. And of course, his cocky boyfriend laughs.

“Told you so.”

"Shut up”, Rin grumbles, and the two of them climb out of the pool. They shower in silence —  _stubborn_  silence in Rin’s case — and when they exit the building, Makoto starts laughing all of a sudden.

“Are you angry?” he coos. “Are you upset that I won?”

“Cockiness doesn’t suit you, Makoto.”

“I guess you rub off on me, then.”

“Wha— oh, you little...!”

Rin pins Makoto up against the nearest wall and captures the taller man’s lips in a kiss. in an effort to shut him up. He's just a little annoyed about having lost the race to Makoto; he should’ve seen it coming even before suggesting Makoto pick what kind of race they’d compete in. But even so, it makes him glad to know that Makoto seems to be improving still, and that he has a bright future within swimming, if that’s the path he chooses to take after graduation.

He slides his tongue over Makoto’s lower lip, silently asking Makoto to open his mouth. Just as he does, he hears a voice behind him that makes his blood run cold.

“Rin-chan? Mako-chan? Oh man _— this_  is unexpected!”

Rin pulls away as if he’s been burnt by Makoto’s lips, and both of their heads turn in the direction of the voice. Having only expected Nagisa, Rin finds the entire Iwatobi team standing there, and he wants to sink through the ground.

“Don’t they feed you here?” Haru deadpans, and Nagisa snorts out a laugh.

“Shut  _up_ , Haru.”

“I’m glad for you, Rin-san, Makoto-senpai.”

Rin resists the urge to yell at Ryuugazaki to shut up, too — he actually really likes the guy now. Instead, he closes his eyes and sighs slowly through his nose.

“Well... there goes our secret”, he mumbles, and Makoto laughs awkwardly.

“Yeah.”

“Makoto, you’re making out with a  _rival_ , you know that, right?”

“He isn’t a rival! Well, yes — when it comes to swimming. But he’s your friend, too. And... I think there’s a difference between those things. So I don’t see why I can’t date him.”

“Yeah, Haru — you’re not his  _mother_ ”, Rin says like the actual five year-old he is. Haru just rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. I’m here to swim, let me borrow your pool.”

“Hell no! I’m not staying behind even longer just because you have weird merman needs to fulfil. Go back home to your bath tub.”

“Please, Rin-chan?” Nagisa begs, but Rin crosses his arms, turning around to leave. All he wants right now is to just go home and bury his face into his pillow, even though he’s pretty sure Sousuke’s found out and will mock him for as long as he’ll live.

“No. I’m leaving. I’ll text you later, Makoto.”

“Okay.”

“Aww, that’s unfair. You let Makoto swim but you won’t let  _us_  swim here”, comes the complaining, whiny voice of Nagisa. Rin turns around again and flashes a sharp-toothed grin.

“That was special treatment because he’s my boyfriend, Nagisa.”

The blond protest as Rin leaves, still laughing.


	35. MakoRei #11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Cuddling after a long day of swim practice.**
> 
> Asked by: [causeimamerican](http://causeimamerican.tumblr.com).

“Aah, I’m  _exhausted_ ”, Nagisa complains as he hauls himself out of the pool. Practice had been a little tougher today, but it’s only because regionals is coming up soon. Makoto has a feeling Gou made their regimen tougher as a punishment for only just barely making it to the regional tournament.

Someone who doesn’t seem to be affected, as usual, is Haruka. He’s still swimming in the pool when everyone else’s gotten out, and Makoto shakes his head, smiling. Not much has changed between them, and he’s glad for it.

“We’ll head home ahead of you then, Haru”, Makoto calls out towards the pool, where Haru barely stops swimming to put up a hand in a lazy wave of acknowledgement. Nagisa, Rei and Makoto leave the pool area and school grounds altogether, and start walking back home.

It’s been a long and very tiring day, to say the least. Makoto and Rei have to make sure Nagisa doesn’t just walk straight into a tree because he’s so out of it, and they both know just how much their blond friend is going to be complaining about sore muscles the next day. Not that Makoto isn’t going to feel it, he definitely is — but he usually doesn’t complain loudly about it.

“Don’t fall asleep on the way home now, Nagisa-kun”, Rei gently scolds his friend, and Nagisa just nods absent-mindedly as he staggers in the opposite direction. Makoto laughs.

“I think he’ll be fine. Have you told your parents you’re staying over at my place for dinner?”

“I have.”

“Okay. Then let’s go. I really wanna go back home and relax for a bit before everyone else comes home. I love my siblings, but… they can be a bit of a handful sometimes.”

“I see”, Rei says and smiles, even though he doesn’t actually agree with Makoto. He likes both Ren and Ran, and they seem to like him, too.

 

* * *

 

“Sorry for intruding”, Rei says automatically as they walk in, even though the house is empty. Makoto giggles behind him.

“You don’t have to say that; you’re here so often, anyway.”

“Sorry. Force of habit”, he mumbles as he takes his shoes off before walking inside. Makoto barely even makes it inside before he crashes down by the kotatsu, sticking his legs in under it and releasing a long sigh of relief. Rei doesn’t stop there, but instead continues into the kitchen.

“Do you want tea?” he calls out.

“I do. Thanks”, comes the reply, and Rei begins boiling tea water for the two of them.

He’s been told so many times before to make himself at home in the Tachibana house, but it isn’t until recently that he’s only somewhat started doing that. Of course, going into the kitchen and using it freely like this isn’t something he’d do if Makoto’s parents were at home.

Having prepared their tea, Rei goes out to serve it on a tray, accompanied with milk, sugar and teaspoons. Rei isn’t one for having much sugar in his tea, although he does like to have some milk in it. The tea Makoto drinks is something Rei would more or less call a shot of an energy drink, and he’s amazed by the fact that Makoto has yet to have his first cavity.

It  _will_  happen one day if he isn’t careful, Rei is sure of it.

“How are you so good at making tea?” Makoto asks before he blows on his mug and takes a careful sip. Rei involuntarily winces, imagining what that concoction must taste like. He recovers quickly and shrugs instead.

“My mother always made tea for me and my brother, and I guess I picked it up from her.”

“Because you were a curious child and wanted to learn things”, Makoto says with a little laugh that makes Rei blush and frown.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Not much has changed, then.”

Rei glares at Makoto who sticks his tongue out at him teasingly, and then he sighs. When they’ve both finished their tea, Rei gets up to take care of their tea mugs and pot, as well as put everything else back. Despite Makoto’s protests, he manages to keep his boyfriend sitting by the kotatsu as he finishes his business.

When he comes back, Rei sits behind Makoto with his legs on each side of Makoto and pulls the brunet back against his chest. Makoto turns his head up a little to look at him.

“What’s with this?”

“You seemed tired, so I thought I’d be your backrest.”

Makoto laughs a little and leans against his chest. “Thank you. This is nice.”

“I’m glad. Finally repaying you the favour after I’ve been in your position so many times.”

The taller boy hums, closes his eyes and leans his head back again. Rei runs his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair, which makes him almost purr like a cat, and the bespectacled boy can’t help but laugh.

“Someone’s been spending too much time with cats, I hear.”

“I can’t help it”, Makoto whines. “There are always cats outside Haru’s house, and I can’t help but sit and play with them... a lot.”

Rei rolls his eyes. “Well, I guess that means I’ll have my own cat soon. Without the whiskers, ears and tail, that is.”

“Do you mind it?”

“I don’t think so. We’ll see.”

Makoto turns his head up again and smiles innocently. “Would you throw me out if I was too naughty?”

This time, Rei’s eyes widen and he blushes. Furiously staring at the wall in front of him, he huffs. “I... don’t know. I don’t think so.”

Makoto chuckles again and nuzzles his chin against Rei’s chest. “I’ll try my best to behave.”

“Good.”


	36. SouHaru #7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Super affectionate sleepy cuddler Sousuke.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

The golden glow of the morning light seeps through the blinds, shining straight in Haru’s face, making him squint and groan. He pulls his pillow out from under his head, turns to the side and lays the pillow down over his head instead.  _Someone_  had to be lazy and not turn the blinds before bed last night, at which time Haru had already been asleep. So of course, he’s waking up to this. The sun shining him right in the face.

His cohabitant leaves dirty laundry behind him, and tends to not take care of the dishes in the morning before he heads off to work — but other than that, Haru doesn’t have anything to complain about. Living like this with Sousuke is nice, he’s realised, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort being in this relationship. Seeing as they’re both rather laid-back people, what used to be a very unlikely relationship has turned out to something Haru almost takes for granted now.

It takes Haru a few minutes to realise that his legs are suddenly completely tangled with Sousuke’s, and that he’s embraced by two strong arms around his middle. This wasn’t how it was when he woke up. When did Sousuke do this, and  _why_? Does this mean that the taller man is awake?

“Sousuke”, he murmurs, battling with the lingering sleepiness still having a hold on him. There’s a muffled groan in response, and a ruffle of the duvet, but nothing else.

Haruka huffs in slight frustration and tries to wriggle out of his boyfriend’s mess of limbs, but to no avail. He considers kicking the other, but knows it’ll probably result in him getting  _tickled_  again, and god forbid such a thing to happen, because Haru absolutely despises being tickled, while Sousuke loves tickling him. Apparently, his lover thinks he’s got a beautiful laugh, but Haru strongly disagrees.

He practically rips his pillow off of his face as he bristles. “Sousuke, I swear to god, if you don’t wake up and let me go take a shower, I’m going to—”

“What’s the hurry?” comes a not so muffled voice, and then Haru feels a warm breath against his neck as his boyfriend speaks. “Mornin’, Haruka.”

“You seem to have slept well”, Haru grumbles, and Sousuke chuckles. Of  _course_  he’d do that, having taken up more than half the bed that night. Bastard.

“Yeah, I did. What, you didn’t sleep well?”

“No. Not with you being all over the place. Now let me get up and go take a shower. I feel gross.”

Sousuke proceeds to nuzzle his nose against the nape of Haru’s neck, not letting go. “No. What’s the rush? You got somewhere to go?”

“The shower.” Haru responds to Sousuke being clingy by shoving his pillow back in the other man’s face, but all he receives in response is a splutter and then a laugh.

“Come on. We rarely do this. Let’s just stay in bed until lunch, and then I’ll cook us something. It’s a Sunday, what do you have to do that’s so urgent?”

Haruka sighs in resignation and relaxes his muscles. It’s true that he doesn’t have anything to do today, but he also doesn’t want to just lie in bed all day, either. Although, he  _is_  kind of curious as to what Sousuke may have planned for their morning in bed.

“Fine”, he says, “but please let me go. I can barely breathe.”

Sousuke only loosens his embrace a little, but then goes back to nuzzling his nose against Haru’s neck, taking in his scent and enjoying the morning silence.

What’s  _with_  this guy? Normally he isn’t this much of a cuddler. Is he sick? Haru really doesn’t want to have to take care of a sick Sousuke today, he wants to visit the communal pool and immerse himself in water for as long as he can, because starting tomorrow, he’s back at work again until Friday, and he won’t have much time to take baths during weekdays.

“Haruka”, Sousuke murmurs, and Haru turns his head a little. Only ever so slightly, because god forbid he’d get slapped in the face by Sousuke’s morning breath.

“What?”

“I love you.”

Oh, he’s  _definitely_  sick. Haru wriggles an arm out from under the duvet and brings a hand up to feel Sousuke’s forehead. But no, he doesn’t feel an unusually high temperature emanating from Sousuke as he puts his hand against the other man’s forehead. Strange. Maybe he caught a weird virus, then?

“Are you sick?” Haru finds himself asking, and then Sousuke looks at him like Haru just kicked his puppy.

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you’re acting... strange. You’re cuddly.”

“I’m always cuddly”, Sousuke replies with a raised eyebrow. “What, you don’t like it?”

Haru opens his mouth to respond, but whatever he wanted to say refuses to leave his lips, and instead, he pouts and lifts his gaze over Sousuke’s shoulder, focusing it on the window. Honestly — right now, Sousuke reminds him of Makoto. Makoto’s a clingy person, and Haruka’s used to his best friend always hugging him or leaning against him.

But he’s never taken even his own boyfriend for such a person, which others might find weird, but it’s just something that’s never been a thing between them. Sure, they may have their moments every now and then — especially after sex — but it’s never like  _this_. Sousuke's cuddling is usually more toned down, and doesn’t last very long.

Even so, Haru finds himself having to realise that he doesn’t actually  _mind_  Sousuke being like this, now that he thinks about it. Not that he’d let the big dumb guy hugging him now that, because he’d probably be stuck in bed all day if he did.

Haru sighs again, and he puts his arms around Sousuke. The swimming pool can wait; he knows the water will forgive him and welcome him back with open arms once he arrives. “I love you, too. Idiot.”


	37. MakoRin #18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Rin taking care of a sick Satsuki and Makoto, and he realizes just how horrible a patient his husband can be (never stays in bed and denies he's even sick), and how similar his daughter is to him when Makoto's sick (clingy and whiny). Bonus: SouHaru cameo.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Rin can’t believe the fact that both his husband  _and_  daughter are sick at the same time. While they were at it, couldn’t the health gods have thrown this onto him as well? If he’d been sick, he could’ve called Haru over and let him cook for and take care of them, hell — Rin would even put up with having to eat nothing but  _mackerel_ if it meant he could be taken care of for a while.

But he decides to be patient. This probably won’t happen again, at least for a long time, so he bears with it. Well, it’s easier said than done when his husband wants to do everything  _but_  lie in bed and try to get better. Rin doesn’t know whether or not to  _pride_  himself in it, but at least he’s sensible enough to do as he’s told when he’s sick.

“Makoto, just lie down”, Rin scolds for what feels like the umpteenth time that day. “I’ll get you ice cream if you do.”

Makoto looks at him with a conflicted look crossing his facial features before he goes back to being all antsy again. “But I can’t just lie here and do  _nothing_ ; I feel worthless.”

He’s been trying to put on clothes for the past few minutes, but he kept having to stop for a cough every few seconds, after which he collapsed back onto the bed with a defeated sigh. “I’m not even  _that_  sick”, he grumbles and coughs again. Rin walks over to him and kisses him on the top of his head.

“We both know you are, it’s very obvious. And it’ll only stay longer if you keep walking about and overexerting yourself.”

The brunet pouts. “I’m not overexerting myself; I should at least be able to put some clothes on, right?”

“Yeah, but you have a nasty cold and should lie in bed with pyjamas on. Really, though, you’ve gotta work with me here. I have a sick daughter to take care of, too, and she’s being at  _least_  as clingy and whiny as you are right now. So please just go back to bed? The more you rest, the sooner you’ll be out of that bed and back to work. I promise.”

Makoto’s pout stays, but he finally obeys Rin and crawls back into bed. “Fine. Only if I can have a hug. And if you bring me food, preferably soup.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “As if you’d accept anything else from me.”

He makes his way over to their bed and sits down next to Makoto, whom immediately embraces him and leans his head on Rin’s shoulder. “You’re such a good husband for taking care of us, Rin”, Makoto coos.

“I know. You’d better be thankful and repay me the favour whenever I’m sick.”

Makoto laughs. “Of course I will.”

“Good. Now let me go so I can take care of the other sick patient in the house and prepare you guys some food.”

The taller man lets go, and Rin walks out of the room, praying to the gods above that Makoto won’t be childish and try to get up again just because he’s left. He wants to properly tend to Satsuki to make sure she gets better as soon as possible, as her fever’s quite high. Thankfully, she isn’t coughing as much as Makoto is, but it still makes Rin nervous.

Satsuki immediately sits up in her bed when he comes in. “Dad, I’m too warm”, she complains, and he sighs. Walking over to her bed, Rin sits down on the edge and lets his daughter put her arms around his neck, much like Makoto had done just a few minutes earlier. It’s probably inevitable; Rin is most  _definitely_  going to get sick soon. Especially when living with two very clingy sick people. If at least Makoto hadn’t been sick, he would’ve been able to avoid it.

“If you’re too warm, why is it okay with hugs?” Rin asks, amused. Satsuki whines.

“It’s okay if it’s Dad.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Listen, Satsuki — I need to go out and make you and Papa some lunch. I’ll be back very soon, okay?”

Still reluctant on letting her father go, Satsuki hugs him tighter and continues her whining. Rin sighs and kisses her on the top of her head. Just as he does, their doorbell rings, and this time, Satsuki actually lets him go.

“Food?”

Rin shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ll be back soon, promise.”

He leaves his daughter’s room and goes out into the hallway to open the door. When he does, he’s met by both Sousuke and Haru, the latter carrying a plastic bag which seems rather packed with stuff.

“Haru? Sousuke? What are you guys doing here?”

“Heard Makoto and Satsuki were sick, so we thought we’d help you take care of them”, Sousuke says. “Well, sort of — we just brought some food. It’s chicken noodle soup, and yes, I made it. Otherwise I’m sure it’d taste like mackerel.”

Haru glares at his boyfriend, but then quickly regains his neutral expression as he hands over the white plastic bag to Rin. “There’s a few muffins in there, too. I know Makoto will like them, at least.”

Rin raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Yeah, because I sure as hell won’t eat them. Satsuki might like them, too. Thanks, you guys — you didn’t have to do this.”

Haru huffs in response and averts his gaze, but Sousuke grins widely. “Sure. Anything we can do to help. You think you’ll be able to handle them?”

The redhead glances back at his and Makoto’s bedroom door and snorts. “Honestly, if it’d only been Satsuki, I would’ve been more than fine. But Makoto’s being as disobedient as ever, wanting to take care of himself  _and_  us. I don’t need anyone taking care of me, but they need someone to take care of them.”

“You kinda  _do_  need someone to take care of you, sometimes, though”, Haru deadpans, and Sousuke bursts out laughing, giving his boyfriend a high five.

 _Those two are the very definition of dickheads_ , Rin thinks to himself. It’s no wonder they found each other after finally having buried the hatchet and made peace, because they’re so eerily similar that anything else would’ve been strange.

“Well, thanks for the care package”, Rin says with a sigh, preparing himself for the rest of the day with his sick husband and daughter. “I should probably go and feed those two before they both start whining again.”

“Right. Good luck with that”, Sousuke says, trying to stifle a second wave of laughter, and Haru gives him a short nod before he pulls Sousuke with him away from their house. Rin shakes his head before closing the door, smiling to himself. Even if they  _are_  dickheads at times, they can be really kind and caring when they want to. Even Haru.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A week later, Rin is stuck in bed with a fever, a sore throat, and a stubborn cough. He’s forbidden Makoto from using the kitchen and has asked Sousuke to bring him food instead, which hasn’t exactly made Makoto  _too_  happy, but Rin knows that his husband is aware of his lacking skills in the kitchen, and that he probably shouldn’t try to improve them when he’s trying to cook for someone who’s sick.

With Satsuki back at kindergarten and Makoto back at work, Rin's all to himself during the day. But thanks to Sousuke and Haru, at least he won’t have to starve, as he’s got quite a lot of food from them in the fridge.

No muffins, though.


	38. SouHaru #8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru wearing Sousuke's Samezuka jacket after sex.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“Haruka.”

“Mmm.”

Sousuke tries to ignore the feeling of Haru’s voice reverberating against his chest, because it feels so  _nice_  he might just fall asleep right there. But no, he needs a shower, and so does Haru.

“Get off of me, I need a shower”, he grunts, but there’s no reaction from the seemingly dead fish lying on top of him. He looks down only to see a mess of black hair, and he sighs. “I’m going to kick your ass out of this bed if I have to.”

“I know you wouldn’t. You’re too weak for me.”

Sousuke feels his eyebrow twitch. It isn’t like Haruka isn’t correct in what he’s saying, because of course he is. Of course Sousuke wouldn’t actually kick his boyfriend out of bed, but it certainly doesn’t mean he wouldn’t  _carry_  him out. He likes to think it means the same thing, but Haru would probably beg to differ on that one.

“One day, Haruka, I swear to god—”

“Alright, fine, I’ll get off”, Haru says, surrendering. He gets off of Sousuke and sits on the edge of the bed for a second, before he speaks again. “But I’m using the shower before you do.”

Before Sousuke has time to react, Haruka makes a sprint for the bathroom, and he drops his jaw in both amazement and annoyance. “Haruka, get the fuck out of there! I was thinking of getting in that shower before you even considered leaving this damn bed!”

Just as he gets up to walk towards the bathroom, Haru yells back at him. “You take ages in the shower. I’ll be out in five. Tops.”

He sighs exasperatedly and goes back to sit on the bed again. He slaps a hand over his forehead and takes a deep breath. For the most part, living with Haru like this is pure bliss without too much effort and no big fights. But they do bicker every now and then, and then there’s the way Haru can be so unruly and stubborn that it almost drives Sousuke up the wall.

But in a way, that’s one of the things Sousuke loves about Haruka. The way he doesn’t give up on things no matter what, and how cute he can be when he’s annoyed or frustrated. He kows that if he told Haru that he looks cute when he’s pissed, he’d definitely have to sleep on the couch.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Haru emerges from the bathroom at last, and Sousuke doesn’t waste a second storming inside, his lover having barely even made it out. He receives a death glare before he grins and closes the door behind him, sighing in relief at finally getting to take a nice, cold shower. He makes quick, but still thorough, work of said shower, and then exits the bathroom.

What Sousuke sees when he returns to their bedroom to get changed is far beyond what he though he’d ever see. A sight that sends a sex signal straight down to his lower region. He swallows hard and makes his way over to the bed.

Haru’s lying on top of it, flipping through one of Sousuke’s comic books without looking too interested in it. And he’s… wearing Sousuke’s old Samezuka jacket.

“Where’d you find that?” Sousuke asks, and Haru looks up at him with a puzzled look before he looks back down at the black and red jacket he’s wearing. In bed. And  _nothing else_.

“In your closet. Why don’t you wear this anymore? It has to still suit you.”

“Because I’m not attending Samezuka anymore, maybe?” Sousuke replies with a raised eyebrow. “And no, I don’t think it still suits me.”

It doesn’t suit Haruka, either, as it’s several sizes too big. He almost looks like a kid in it, with the sleeves rolled up a bit so his hands are free. Sousuke holds back a laugh and goes to get changed.

“I hope you’re not planning on being in bed all day?”

“No. I’m going down to the pool.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

Sousuke scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I’m heading out to see  _people_. You should try that sometime, it’d be good for you.”

Haru closes the comic book with a loud  _flap_  and gives Sousuke a pointed look. “Just because you said that, I’m going over to Makoto’s tonight. And I might be staying over.”

“Are you going to let him cook for you? Or is Rin cooking for you guys as usual?”

Haruka snorts. “I’m cooking. And you’re not invited.”

Sousuke laughs as he pulls a t-shirt over his head. He walks over to the bed and kisses his lover on top of his head, which is still a little wet. “Fine. It’ll be nice to have the entire apartment to myself tonight. Not to mention the  _bed_ —”

“I’m not staying over, just so you know”, Haru interrupts him, and Sousuke’s smile grows into a wide grin.

“I knew you’d say that. Now get out of my goddamn jacket before you’ll ruin it somehow.”


	39. MakoRei #12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto proposes to Rei, and meets his parents and overprotective older brother.**
> 
> Asked by: [siberian74](http://siberian74.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Keigo_ is formal Japanese language, used mainly to people who stand above you in society, i.e. doctors, teachers, government officials, etc.. People who work to serve you as a customer (in restaurants, shops etc.) are expected to use keigo, as well. **Personal note** : keigo is a pain to learn, but imperative, as well. Sadly.
> 
> Also, yes — Kengo is a reused name from my “[Wrong Number](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2426096/chapters/5369282)” fic. I’m lazy, fight me.

This can’t be happening… can it? Maybe he’s just dreaming. Yeah, it’s a dream, it has to be. Rei takes his right hand and pinches his left arm with his thumb and index finger, making sure to pinch hard enough where it’ll sting. No, it definitely hurts, and it leaves an angry, red mark on his arm as he lets his right arm fall to his side again. So… it’s reality? It isn’t a dream?

Makoto looks at him with a puzzled look and laughs. “Did you think this wasn’t really happening?”

He nods. Tries to swallow to lubricate his bone dry throat, doesn’t work. He hears his heart throbbing loudly in his ears, and he feels like he might just pass out.

“Oh. Well, it’s… it’s happening, definitely. So… what do you say?”

Rei exhales a shaky breath before answering the question. “I… I do.” 

Telling their friends about their engagement leads to very different, positive reactions. Nagisa cries tears of joy and hugs them both, wishing them all the best of luck. Haru gives them a little nod and a smile which is rare to begin with, but Rei appreciates it nonetheless. Rin sobs and sniffles, being a complete disaster over Skype, and he, much like Nagisa, wishes them both luck in what’s to come.

“ _So when will it happen? More like, when am I coming back to Japan to see two of my best friends get married?_ ” Rin asks after having collected himself, at least somewhat. Makoto and Rei exchange glances, and Makoto shrugs, smiling sheepishly.

“I… hadn’t really thought that far when I asked. But probably this summer. Right?”

Makoto looks to Rei, as if it  _wouldn’t_  be okay for them to get married the coming summer. Honestly, if he could have it his way, he’d do it tomorrow. Right now, even. Well, maybe not right now — he’d need some time to prepare himself mentally, but it almost feels like summer is still too far off.

“Yes. Most definitely summer”, he confirms, and Makoto nods, relief crossing his facial features for a second.

Rin rolls his eyes, but then grins. “ _Good thing you didn’t say winter, because I sure as hell wouldn’t come back home when it’s cold. Not even for a wedding._ ”

“Not even if it means two of your best friends are getting married?” Haru deadpans, and Rin snorts.

“ _You guys should consider yourselves lucky I love you so much_.”

“We love you, too, Rin-rin!”

 

* * *

 

When the Skype call is over, and Haru and Nagisa have both left, Rei sighs and leans against the wall behind him. He looks over at Makoto, smiling a little. “Now I guess there’s just my family left, then.”

Makoto laughs nervously. “Yeah. I’m so glad my parents took it well. I knew Ran and Ren would approve, since they like you so much, but… parents are a different matter, I guess.”

To be honest, Rei doesn’t know how his family are going to react. He’s pretty sure they’ll like Makoto — because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t? — but it’s the whole issue of whether they’d approve of the two of them getting married. He’s a little ashamed of the fact that he hasn’t even introduced Makoto to them yet, but some time has to be the first. Right?

If only it wouldn’t have been before the two get married.

After certain arrangements have been made, Rei and Makoto get ready to go over to Rei’s parents’ house for dinner the following Saturday evening. While Rei feels a little nervous, he can sense that Makoto’s at least ten times more nervous than he is, and understandably so. Rei walks up to his fiancé in the bedroom and embraces him from behind.

“It’ll be fine”, he assures Makoto, kissing him in the nape of his neck. Makoto sighs.

“I hope so. I just… don’t want your family to think I’m not good enough for you. I want to believe that I am, and I want them to think the same.”

Rei smiles and leans his chin on Makoto’s shoulder. “You’re more than good enough, and I think they’ll think so, too. As long as you’re being yourself, it’ll be fine. I promise.”

“What about your brother?”

“Kengo? I think he’ll be less of an issue than my parents. Trust me, you’ll be okay.  _We’ll_  be okay.”

Makoto sighs. “Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

Rei is the first one to step inside when the door opens and they’re welcomed into the Ryuugazaki household. Makoto fidgets a little as he stands in the hallway, but then seconds later, he’s  _hugged_  by Rei’s mother.

“Mum, I haven’t even  _introduced_  him yet”, Rei hisses, but she just laughs.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so excited to meet him. You”, she emphasises, pulling back a bit to look at Makoto. “I’m Minori, by the way.”

Still a little baffled, Makoto’s released just in time to hear a new voice coming from the living room. He takes in a deep breath and prepares for the second, hopefully last, wave. “Oh, our guests have arrived!”

Minori gets out of the way just in time for a tall man to approach him, and he’s the spitting image of Rei. Well, older, but still — eerily similar. He’s correct in assuming this man won’t greet him with a simple handshake, but something a little more… intimate.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tachibana-kun”, the man says. “I’m Kengo, Rei’s older brother. I’ve heard a lot about you from my younger brother, so it’s nice to finally meet the person he holds dear.”

Makoto blinks, overwhelmed and confused. “It’s— it’s nice to meet you, too, Kengo-san.”

He sees an older man standing by the opening to the living room, and he gives Makoto a wide smile. Well, at least the first impression of Rei’s family is a good one. He hopes they feel the same way. The person whom Makoto assumes to be Rei’s father approaches him, but thankfully, he only shakes Makoto’s hand.

“Pleasure to meet my son’s boyfriend, finally”, he says, and Makoto feels his heart skip a beat, wondering how they’ll react when he corrects it to ‘future husband’. “My name is Youhei. Please, make yourself at home; we’re glad to have you over.”

Youhei’s so polite it almost makes Makoto feel like he should use  _proper_  keigo or something. He doesn’t even know what Rei’s father does for a living — maybe he’s actually  _expected_  to use it, after all?

Completely overwhelmed by the personalities of Rei’s family members, he exhales in relief when Youhei shows them into the living room while the three of them disappear into the kitchen. Rei sits down next to him and grabs his hand by the kotatsu. “Sorry about that”, he mumbles. “They can be a bit… over the top, sometimes.”

Makoto smiles awkwardly. “It’s fine, I was just… really not expecting that. They seem nice, though.”

“They are. Well, they have the right intentions, but… it can get a little overwhelming at times. I hope you’ll be okay with it.”

“Yeah”, he says, and actually feels a little more relieved. They could’ve been strict and completely humourless people, after all. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

 

* * *

 

“So, Makoto — what do you do for a living?” Youhei asks as they’re all seated around the table, having just started eating dinner. Makoto clears his throat, suddenly a little nervous despite having expected this kind of interrogation.

“I work at the local swimming club. I’m a swimming coach for young children.”

Both Kengo and Minori let out an ‘ _ooh_ ’-sound, and Makoto scratches his earlobe with an awkward smile. Youhei nods. “I knew my son had great taste.”

“Father”, Rei says with a warning tone. “We actually came over tonight because Makoto and I have something to announce.”

The room suddenly goes completely silent, and it makes Makoto’s blood freeze in his veins. Oh no. This is it, this is where they announce their upcoming wedding. He’s had a great impression of them so far; apart from them being a little more eccentric than Makoto’s used to. In time, he’s sure he’ll get used to it, though, as it isn’t actually anything  _bad_.

“Oh”, Youhei says slowly, probably preparing himself.  _He’s most likely figured it out already_ , Makoto thinks. “Well, alright — what’s going on?”

This time, Makoto decides to take the initiative. He’s the one who proposed, after all, and these are Rei’s family members he’s talking to. He takes a deep breath to steel himself for the reactions, and opens his mouth.

“I asked Rei to marry me, and he said yes. We… we are getting married, and I ask for your blessing, Kengo-san, Minori-san, Youhei-san.”

Kengo’s eyebrows skyrocket, his dark blue eyes widening. Minori and Youhei exchange shocked looks, and Makoto feels like he’s just committed a deadly sin. Maybe it’s because he’s a year older? Do Rei’s parents care about things like that? Or do they think that a swim coach is unfit to marry someone like Rei?

Honestly, Makoto’s thought the same thing — among others — so many times in the past two weeks that he’s lost count, but he’d probably get rich if he were to receive a ten yen coin for each of those times. Maybe rich to the point where he’d be able to afford the kind of wedding Rei truly deserves.

“Oh my god”, Kengo finally says, and Makoto holds his breath, squeezing Rei’s hand maybe a little  _too_  hard, “that’s  _fantastic_! I’m so happy for you guys — congratulations!”

Makoto doesn’t even notice Minori getting up from her spot, but suddenly she’s hugging him and saying all kinds of things at once that he’s having trouble registering due to the shock of it all. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Makoto loses the grip on Rei’s hand, and when he turns to his fiancé, Rei just smiles at him, the look in his eyes soft, and it makes Makoto’s heart melt.

“I’m so glad, congratulations! Ah, I can’t believe my son is getting married!” Minori exclaims, and Makoto hugs her back after a few seconds of being in shock.

“Hey, I might get married one day, too”, comes the protesting voice of Kengo, and the parents laugh.

“We know, it’s just a joke”, Youhei says as Minori lets go of Makoto. The father of the family is smiling, and it makes Makoto relax. Three for three, he’s in the clear. “This is certainly good news. And of course, as you may already understand, we fully approve and wish you both the best. I guess all that’s left for us to do is welcome you to the family, Makoto.”

This time, Makoto’s smile is wide, not at all nervous, and he scoots back a little to bow. “Thank you. I will do my best to make Rei happy.”

“I have no doubts about that”, Youhei replies, to which his wife and eldest son both agree.

 

* * *

 

Dinner proceeds in a nice and peaceful manner, with only a slight grilling from the Ryuugazaki family, and Rei shooting Makoto apologetic glances every now and then. He actually doesn’t mind it — after all, they deserve to know most everything about the man who’s about to marry their son and Kengo’s brother.

Kengo’s actually the one who’s asking the most questions; about how they met, if they plan on adopting kids (which is a subject they’ve only briefly touched upon before, but will obviously have to revisit soon), what his views are on certain things… it’s making Makoto a little dizzy and slightly intimidated, but Rei keeps touching his arm and reassuring him, so he guesses it’s fine, and just answers the questions truthfully.

When dinner is long over and it’s been dark out for a while, Rei and Makoto prepare to go back home to their apartment. Makoto thanks Minori for the lovely dinner and all of them for having him over, for accepting him into their family, and then they leave. It’s been a long and quite exhausting evening, but all in all — Makoto’s glad it happened.

On the train back home, Rei takes his hand and leans his head on Makoto’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Makoto smiles a little and turns to kiss Rei on the top of his head. He looks down at the hand joined with his, at the ring adorning his fiancé’s finger, and feels proud for the man sitting next to him being his. “I am. You have a very nice family.”

Rei huffs out a little laugh. “I apologise for my brother’s behaviour, I’m sure he didn’t mean anything bad.”

“It’s fine, I really don’t mind. I understand him; it has to be a little scary giving away your younger brother to someone you’ve never met before. It’s fine, really.”

“I guess so. Well, I’m glad. It could have turned out a lot worse, after all. And at least they approve of it.”

“Yeah.”

Makoto squeezes the hand he’s holding and sighs. The next thing they have to do is have their families meet, but he’s currently too tired to start thinking of it that he puts the thought in the back of his mind and decides it can wait a day or two. For now, all that matters to him is that he’s actually getting married to the love of his life, their families approve  — and that’s all that matters.


	40. SouHaru #9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Body swap.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (laughs nervously) this is long. 4k... Should've been its own fic, but what the hey.

His first thought when he wakes up is that something isn’t quite right. Something feels off, feels… out of place. Things feel bigger around him, for some reason. And it isn’t until he looks at the man sleeping next to him that it dawns on him.

The scream that leaves Sousuke’s lips isn’t in his own voice, it doesn’t come from his own body, but from  _Haru’s_.

The other man who’s Sousuke but also  _not_  Sousuke, groans and turns over. “Why so loud so early in the morning?”

“Haru, wake the fuck up right now”, Sousuke says, panic rising within him. He sits up, but he doesn’t get out of bed. Not yet. He’s terrified of looking himself in the mirror and seeing what he suspects is happening, or rather — _has_  happened. The biggest questions are, when and why did this happen? Which deity decided that it was a good idea to punish them like this?

Well, Sousuke’s pretty sure Haru wouldn’t think of it as a punishment; he wouldn’t really  _lose_  anything from this. At least that’s what Sousuke thinks, and he knows Haru thinks he’s just being full of himself. So what, at least he’s got some self confidence, what’s so wrong with that?

There’s still no movement from that  _huge_  lump under the duvet, and Sousuke then begins pushing it to try and wake the other man up. Soon enough, a different groan is heard, and it’s so  _weird_  to hear his own voice coming from someone else. This is too bizarre. Maybe he’s just dreaming and needs to go back to sleep? No, it feels far too real for it to just be a dream.

He pinches himself to check whether he  _is_  dreaming or not, but as he feared, it stings as he does, and it confirms his fears that this is in fact reality. Maybe he should be glad this occurred on a Saturday rather than a weekday morning, because how the hell was he supposed to go into work looking and sounding like someone else? Would they have to switch? And for how long?

“Haruka, I’m serious, get up”, he repeats, and a head sticks out from under the duvet. Sousuke feels like he’s going to throw up when he sees  _himself_ , and when ‘Haru’s’ eyes meet his, they widen and he immediately sit up.

“Who are you and why do you look like me?”

“I told you to wake up! This is serious!”

They sit and stare at each other for what feels like several minutes. Hell, it _might_  be, Sousuke doesn’t really have a perception of time right now when he’s literally  _swapped bodies_  with his boyfriend. How did this even happen? Is this possible? This is the kind of stuff he’s seen on films, it doesn’t happen in real life. So why did it still manage to happen to them?

“Oh my god”, Haru finally says. He gets off of the bed and heads straight for the bathroom, and Sousuke doesn’t have to follow to find out what he’s going to do next. He closes his eyes and waits for the scream that’ll inevitably follow. The fact that he’s going to hear it in his own voice is arguably going to be the worst thing about it.

Soon enough, Haru’s yelling, and Sousuke still flinches, despite having been prepared for it. The other man is a lot braver for actually going to confirm it with his own eyes in a mirror — Sousuke still dreads having to do it. He knows he’ll have to, otherwise this probably won’t properly sink in for him and he’ll keep thinking in the back of his mind that this might still be a dream, after all.

Well, a nightmare, but still.

Haruka comes back and stares at Sousuke, which in and of itself wouldn’t have been weird had it not been  _Sousuke_  staring back at himself. Man, this would take quite some time getting use to. Sousuke just hopes they won’t have to.

“What… happened?” Haru asks, and Sousuke shrugs.

“Hell if I know. I woke up and just  _knew_  something was wrong. So something must’ve happened while we were asleep.”

“Maybe because of the way we had sex last night, that wouldn’t really surprise me.”

Sousuke chokes on his own saliva and glares at Haru after recovering from his minor coughing fit. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy that; I’m sure our neighbours will be able to vouch for that, even.” Haru’s pout and slight blush tells Sousuke he’s right, and he holds back a smirk. “Besides, this isn’t the time to yap about this, we should try and figure something out.”

Haru crosses his arms. “How do you suppose we do that? Run into each other at full speed and hope for the best?”

“Idiot, this isn’t a  _film_ ”, Sousuke bites back. “Maybe try and figure out what the hell happened, or something.”

But how would they? Sousuke tries to think back on the events of last night, but he can’t think of anything out of the ordinary that would’ve caused this bizarre thing to happen. No matter what Haru says, the sex hadn’t been out of the ordinary, really, it’d been just as good as always, and Sousuke knows even Haru thinks that, because his body is too honest for his own good.

Wait, now that Sousuke’s in Haru’s body, doesn’t that mean it’d be  _his_  body being too honest for his own good? Oh  _hell_  no. He has to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible, because he doesn’t want to live inside this body for longer than he has to.

 

* * *

 

His boyfriend yawns and stretches his upper body. When he does — and Sousuke so clearly  _sees_  it happen this time, as a spectator rather than someone actually experiencing it — Haru stretches his right shoulder in the wrong way, and almost immediately falls to the floor. He lies down on his left side, clutching at his other shoulder whilst wheezing in pain.

 _Forget thinking about a solution to this goddamn thing for a second, this clearly comes first_ , Sousuke thinks to himself as he nearly throws himself out of bed and down onto the floor next to Haruka. “Lie still and don’t move; I’ll go get the ointment.”

He gets up from the floor, moving on feet that don’t belong to him, and shuffles over to his side of the bed where he digs out the ointment out of his nightstand drawer and then hurries over to Haru’s side again, sitting down. “Alright, this is gonna hurt. A lot. But lie still and it’ll… get bearable in a moment.”

Haru only manages a nod as Sousuke proceeds to open the tube and press out a small amount of the cream onto his fingers. He uses very careful and gentle motions when he begins massaging it in, even more so than he uses on himself when having to do this, but it’s only because he knows Haru isn’t used to this.

He isn’t used to having to go through this every time he reaches for something that’s slightly out of his reach, even just stretching his upper body in the morning ever so slightly wrong will land him an immense amount of pain that’ll only really get bearable until he lets it rest and wears the brace for a while. Normally, Sousuke wears it pretty much all day until he goes to bed, and of course, that’s why Haruka isn’t wearing it right now.

“How… do you deal with this… every day?” Haruka hisses, still in pain. Sousuke shrugs.

“I’ve gotten used to it; it’s been part of my life for several years, after all. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still  _hurt_ , because it does. It hurts like hell, but I’m more used to the pain than I was back then. And I’ve gotten more careful. Just take deep breaths, it’ll get better soon.”

Haru groans as he slowly releases his death grip on his arm slightly below the aching shoulder. He begins slowly breathing in and out; in through his nose, out through his mouth, eyes squinted shut. It’s scary, because this is like literally looking at yourself in the mirror, Sousuke realises, and that this is what Haru’s had to see so many times in the time they’ve been together. This is what he looks like in a state of immense pain.

For once, he’s glad for this body swap thing, because he doesn’t have to deal with that kind of pain right now, but he also doesn’t wish for  _Haruka_  to experience said pain, either. Whoever did this to them is a cruel, cruel being, that’s for sure.

A few minutes pass, and soon enough, Haru slowly sits back up again. He gives Sousuke a pointed look. “Help me get a shower, and then put that stupid brace on. I’m not dealing with that kind of pain ever again if I can help it.”

Sousuke only nods in response, and the two of them take a shower together before getting dressed, which is something else Sousuke has to help Haru with. Not that it’s anything new between them, seeing as Haru’s had to help him a few times with this, too, but he knows Haru must hate having to get help from others. And of course, Sousuke can’t blame him, because he’s the same.

Haru sits down on the bed again, fully dressed but with a petulant look on his face. Sousuke sits down next to him with a sigh. “I don’t like this anymore than you do.”

“At least you don’t have to deal with your shoulder right now”, Haru mutters. He leans his head on Sousuke’s shoulder —  _Haru’s_  shoulder — and sighs. “I’m sorry for the time when I didn’t take it seriously. I didn’t know.”

Sousuke hums. “I know, it’s fine. It’s difficult to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when it comes to things like these. Don’t worry about it.”

After just a few seconds of comfortable silence, Sousuke’s phone rings. His eyes flicker over to it on the top of the chest of drawers, and then Haru gets up. “I’ll get it, just so people won’t freak out when you answer with… my voice.”

“Yeah. Thanks”, Sousuke replies slowly. Man, this is going to be a weird and _very_  trying day. It’s barely even started, and they’ve already had some pretty trying things happen to them.

“Hello? Yes. We are. Why? Okay, that’s fine. Yes. Okay.”

Haru hangs up, and Sousuke gives him a raised eyebrow. “I’ve never realised just how curt you are when you talk to people on the phone. Of course they’re gonna notice now. Who was it?”

“Rin.”

“Huh. What’d he want?”

“He and Makoto are coming over, they’re taking us out for lunch. Rin apparently got promoted yesterday but didn’t want to say anything, so we’re celebrating it today.”

Sousuke immediately gets up from the bed, panic bubbling up within him again. “What the fuck… we can’t see them today! Not like  _this_!”

Haru shrugs. “We’ll practice on each other’s personalities, then.”

“You mean I’m supposed to go around and be as boring as you all day?”

His boyfriend kicks him in the shin, and Sousuke lets out an  _ouch_  and a cuss word that makes Haru snort.

“Serves you right. I’m not boring. Also, stop swearing using my mouth. I don’t want that kind of filth to leave my mouth.”

“Oh, shut _up_.”

 

* * *

 

Despite his reluctance to the whole idea, Sousuke agrees to trying and sound and act a little more like Haru, while the other does the same for Sousuke’s movements, expressions and speech patterns. It’s a little wonky at first, but they eventually do manage to somehow get the hang of it. Well, at least to some extent, but Sousuke almost feels confident that they’ll be able to handle being with Makoto and Rin for a few hours.

The doorbell has rung and scared them both, and they’re making last second preparations before they have to take what they’ve learnt from each other and put it into use.

“Right. So if they say Sousuke, you have to reply”, Sousuke says as he walks over to the door. “And I’ll do the same if they’re talking to ‘Haru’.”

“Yeah, yeah”, Haru says and waves him off dismissively. Sousuke takes a deep breath before he opens the door, and as soon as he does, he’s greeted by a large, sharp-toothed grin and a smile brighter than the sun itself.  He squints at them and grunts.

“Stop being so happy all the time.”

Rin’s smile disappears, and he rolls his eyes. “As funny as ever, Haru.”

Sousuke involuntarily flinches at the first time being called Haru in Haru’s body. This is so strange; he wonders how the hell he’s supposed to survive through this without breaking character even once. He wonders if Haru’s thinking the same thing.

“Hi, Haru. Sorry for intruding”, Makoto says, and it throws Sousuke off even more so than it had with Rin. He blinks, stunned, before coming to his senses.

“Makoto”, he replies curtly, and the other just smiles at him as he walks into the hallway to greet Haru… or ‘Sousuke’. It’ s so strange not calling Makoto by his last name which Sousuke usually does, and he hopes Haru will remember to do it like he usually does, or things might get  _really_  strange very fast.

“Weren’t we going out for lunch?” Haru asks, having said hello to their guests successfully without actually making a mistake. Sousuke realises he greatly underestimated his lover in his ability to quickly adapt.

“We are, if you guys are ready to go”, Rin says. He waves his car keys with another grin. “I’m driving.”

Neither Haru or Sousuke know where they’re being taken, but Sousuke just hopes it’ll be a place where there aren’t too many people around; he doesn’t want to test this more than he necessarily has to. He’d really planned on just staying inside all day, hoping not to have to make more effort than he has to. At home, he can at least act like himself, but now he has to act like  _Haru_.

“So what does your new position mean?” Sousuke asks as they’re finally sitting down. It’s a diner-ish place just outside the centre of town, and to Sousuke’s relief, there aren’t many customers in right now. He hopes it won’t get more crowded while they’re there, but he also knows that’s probably dumb to hope for as it’s lunch time, and this  _is_  a place where people go to eat, after all.

“That I actually have people working  _below_  me now”, Rin replies, pride evident in his tone. “Someone to fetch me coffee if I need to, and someone to help me file all of those goddamn papers. I’m still working below my boss, though, but still.”

“Well, that’s to be expected”, Haru replies dryly. “Don’t over-exhaust the poor kid.”

Rin frowns, and Makoto just laughs. “I won’t do that! Stupid Sousuke. Anyway, so I’m getting better paid, obviously, but my work hours are longer. Guess that was to be expected, but at least I’m making my way up. Soon enough, I’ll be taking over the whole company.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself”, Sousuke says, and Haru snorts.

 

* * *

 

They order their food and continue talking about all sorts of things, Rin doing most of the talking, thankfully. He’s in a good mood, and that also seems to mean he’s more willing to spend money on everyone, as he orders in a bottle of champagne — one of the cheaper ones, but it’s still champagne — and even gets Makoto to drink some of what’s been poured into his glass.

“Be glad it’s a Saturday and not a weekday”, Rin says as Makoto grimaces after having taken a sip. Sousuke laughs. As he does, he feels something tug at the hem of his shirt, and he turns to the side to see Haru’s eyebrows twitch, and he has a slight frown on his face.

“Sousuke— ah,  _Haruka_ , I need help”, he says between gritted teeth. “Shoulder hurts. Really bad.”

Sousuke’s eyes widen. Again? Man, even Sousuke doesn’t have these kinds of problems anymore, it at least doesn’t start hurting just out of the blue when he’s sitting down doing nothing. He closes his eyes and sighs.

“Sorry, guys, I… have to help him”, he mumbles. “We’ll be back soon.”

“’Guys’?” Rin questions, and Sousuke realises their façade is quickly crumbling, as if they’ve been wearing face paint and it’s started to rain, beginning to reveal their true faces.

“Be back soon, promise”, he says hurriedly as he gets up, helps Haruka up from his chair and almost pushes him out towards the restroom area. He doesn’t even care that it’s going to look really weird for two guys to go in there at the same time, because they’re probably not even going to use the stalls. Well, Sousuke might have to, but they’re obviously not going to the same one, and at the same time.

He almost slams the door shut behind them, and Haruka staggers over to the sink. Sousuke hurriedly makes his way over to Haruka and helps him remove the shirt, after which he pulls the little tube out of his pocket. “You should be _really_  glad I always carry this with me in case something like this happens”, he mutters, and Haruka glares at him again.

“Oh, so this is  _my_  fault. It’s  _my_  fault that  _your_  shoulder is like this.”

Sousuke freezes, and Haru does, too, realising what he’s just said. Sousuke straightens his back a little and letting his facial expression straighten out to a neutral one. “I was wondering when you’d finally admit that.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Haruka snaps. “I just… Sousuke, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I know you couldn’t have helped it—”

“Oh, I could have”, he replies. “I could’ve swam less, worked out less, stopped being so goddamn obsessed with wanting to swim with Rin. You’re right.”

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“But you were thinking it — admit it, Haruka!”

Haruka scowls, wincing as he clutches at his aching shoulder, realising it’s not actually helping, and he lets out a shaky sigh. “Only because I didn’t… want you to end up… like  _this_. I wanted for you to be able to achieve your dream. Not give up on it.”

“I didn’t give up on it, I actually did achieve my dream. I got to swim with him when I transferred to Samezuka, and that’s all I wanted before I put swimming away for good. You think I’m weak, don’t you?”

“No! No, I… I don’t. I think you’re strong. Because you… can handle something like this. I mean… look at me, I feel like I’m going to die because it hurts so much. Not only that, but you’re… mentally strong, too. I’m not. You saw what happened to me in our third year.”

Of course he did. Sousuke still remembers hearing from an absolutely infuriated Rin about how Haruka had just stopped swimming, stood up in the pool and stared up at the ceiling. Even back then when things were still tense between them, he truly felt sorry for Haruka, because he realised at that moment how similar the two of them actually were.

Sousuke shakes his head with a sigh and walks over to his boyfriend to help him get the issue sorted out somewhat. Once again, he goes through the procedure of massaging the ointment into the skin on Haru’s — or  _his —_ shoulder, using gentle, circular motions and switching between using the tips of his fingers and his palm. Haruka initially hisses in pain when he starts out, but soon enough goes silent, and that’s when Sousuke knows the worst has passed.

He washes his hands as Haruka puts his shirt back on, and just as he does, someone walks in.

“I knew something was wrong”, Rin says, and Sousuke freezes in place. “I sensed it when I called Sousuke. He sounded too stiff to be Sousuke. What the hell’s going on?”

“Rin, you can’t just— oh.”

Oh, great. All four of them are now gathered in the restroom outside of the stalls and urinals. Sousuke slaps a hand over his face and lets it slowly fall. Well, it was probably inevitable, anyway. Might as well just grab the bull by the horn. Haru seems to be of the same opinion, as he’s the first to speak.

“We’ve swapped bodies”, he states so simply that there’s no mistake that Haru’s inside Sousuke’s body. Even so, Rin snorts, and Makoto looks back and forth between them, looking unsure of what to think. Sousuke doesn’t blame either of them, he’s pretty sure he’d react the same way had it happened to them instead.

“It’s true. Test us. Ask questions that you know only one of us knows the answer to. That should be easy.”

“Right”, Rin says, misbelief and sarcasm in his voice. “Sousuke, what’s my favourite beverage?”

“Cola”, comes from Haru’s mouth, but Sousuke’s mind, and both Rin and Makoto look at each other with raised eyebrows.

“That’s still too easy, Rin”, Makoto says, and it surprises Sousuke how the brunet actually seems  _sceptical_  for once. “Haru, you remember the day we got the toys from coach Sasabe at ITSC, and you got the blue dolphin?”

“Yeah.” Again, weird looks at the person who’s supposed to be Sousuke, but isn’t. “What of it?”

“What was the toy I got?”

“A clownfish.”

Makoto inhales sharply. “Oh my god, it’s true.”

“What? Wait, you were convinced by  _that_?! Okay, you two — spill it. What the hell happened?” Rin prompts, and Sousuke and Haruka exchange helpless glances.

There really isn’t much to tell, but they still tell Makoto and Rin about how they’d suddenly woken up that morning in each other’s bodies. Makoto and Rin stand and listen in surprise, disbelief and mild disgust, and when it’s all laid out on the table, Sousuke sighs and crosses his arms.

Haru’s pain seems to have completely subsided, as he’s gone back to his regular, neutral expression. It’s weird to see it on his own face, Sousuke thinks, because he looks absolutely  _pissed_. Is that what he looks like? Really?

“What if this is a permanent change, then?” Rin asks, upon which both Sousuke and Haru groan in unison.

“Please don’t remind us of that possibility”, Sousuke says, grimacing. I love Haruka’s body, but—”

“Yuck, too much information.”

“—only if I don’t have to inhabit it. And I think he feels the same about _my_  body.”

Haru nods in response, and Makoto leans against the tile wall with a sigh. “This is still too much for me to take in. I mean, it’s very obvious to me now that you _have_  switched bodies somehow, but how will you deal with going to work, for instance?”

Sousuke shrugs. “No idea. I guess we’ll just—”

All of a sudden, he feels like he’s just about to black out, but then he’s back again, except he’s no longer standing in the same spot. A little disoriented, he blinks a few times. Wait, did he  _teleport_? What the hell is this?

“You’ll just what?”

“Whoa”, he says slowly as he looks over at  _Haruka_ , who’s now standing where he’d just been, and he himself stands just by the sink. “I think I’m back. Haruka?”

“Yeah. Oh, you’re right.”

Rin flinches. “Okay, what the  _fuck_  is this.”

“Seems everything’s back to normal again”, Sousuke says with a shrug. He feels a very dull throbbing in his shoulder, but thankfully he’d helped Haru put the brace on earlier, so it’ll be fine soon. “Well, we should probably go back out there and pay before they sue our asses.”

Makoto stares at them both as they’ve been possessed by Satan himself, and then sighs shakily. “Yep, definitely too much for me to handle.”

“I want to swim”, Haru says, disinterested. “Now that I finally have my own body again, I want to go to the pool.”

The two of them go out before Rin and Makoto, and Sousuke thinks to himself that all he really wants is for this day to be over. And to never,  _ever_  again have something like this happen to him.

Not that he can be sure of that, of course.


	41. MakoRin #19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto calls Rin upset about his fight with Haru — the reason why Rin has an extra ticket to Australia was because it was originally supposed to be for Makoto. Rin explains this to Haru when Haru tells him about his fight with Makoto.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Makoto feels bad about the fact that he’s taken for granted that he and Haruka would never,  _ever_  have a big fight. Have they ever bickered? Yes, several times during the time they’ve spent together. But it’s never been quite like this. It’s never resulted in the two yelling at each other, and Haru running away. Running away has always been something they’ve both been rather good at, but in the literal sense was something Makoto thought he’d never see.

So when he stares at Haru’s shrinking figure as he runs away from their first ever fight, Makoto sinks down with his back against the railing, releases a shaky breath and cries.

 

* * *

 

He feels bad for always having to rely on others. He’s done so his entire life; whether it’d be his parents or Haru. It’s mostly been Haru. Despite being the taller of the two, Makoto’s always hid behind Haru, being protected by his best friend, always having someone to go to when he’s lost.

This time, it obviously isn’t Haru Makoto chooses to go to, however. He hesitates, finger hovering above the call button on his phone, and after taking a deep breath, he calls Rin. It only takes a few seconds for the redhead to pick up, but when he does, Makoto feels like he’s going to cry again.

“ _Hello? Makoto?_ ”

“Rin, I— I had a fight. With Haru. We’ve… never fought before. I’m terrified he won’t want to be my friend again. What should I do?”

Rin sighs. “ _I’ll come over, just come to the train station. Can I sleep at your place tonight? Kinda need a break from Sousuke’s snoring— ouch! What the hell, Sou?!_ ”

“Yeah. Come soon, I don’t… wanna be alone right now.”

“ _Sure. It’ll be fine, Makoto, don’t freak out_.”

But how can he  _not_? He’s never been in this situation before, he doesn’t know what to do — and what scares him the most is that he doesn’t know what  _Haru’s_  going to do. He always does otherwise, but this time, Makoto has no idea, and he’s terrified of it.

 

* * *

 

Rin sighs and puts his phone back onto the bed before he shoves down the last few things into his bag. He feels Sousuke’s eyes on him from the top bunk, but waits until the other starts talking; he knows his best friend is very keen on either asking something or stating an opinion Rin hasn’t asked for.

“What’s going on?”

He zips up his duffel bag and sits down on the bed again. “Change of plans. I’m going out to see Makoto, probably staying the night.”

“Aren’t you guys leaving tomorrow?”

“I am. Makoto isn’t.”

Sousuke sits up. “What the hell are you  _talking_  about? Aren’t you taking Tachibana with you to Australia all of a sudden? Did you have a fight?”

Rin puts his face in his hands. He’d really looked forward to surprising Makoto with this ticket to Australia, looked forward to seeing the look on Makoto’s face when presented with said plane ticket. But he knows that he’ll have to do this, because it’s actually going to do some good for someone who truly needs it, rather than him just taking his boyfriend on a vacation.

“No, we didn’t. It’s… complicated. He and Haru had a fight, a really big one where Haru ran off. So I’m taking Haru instead.”

“Hold the fucking phone”, Sousuke says before climbing down to stand in front of Rin. “You’re taking  _Nanase_  instead of Tachibana when the two of them fought, and  _Nanase_  was the one to run away? I’m really failing to see the logic in this, Rin.”

Rin waves dismissively and sighs again. “You don’t get it. I’ll just take him some other time, but I think Haru really needs this right now. You know what happened to him at regionals, even if you didn’t see it. I saw it, and it really fucking scared me. So I’m doing this for him, because he desperately needs a break from everything.”

Of course, Rin knows that Sousuke’s going to be anything but pleased that he’s doing something this nice for Haru. And of course Rin’s a little bitter about having to change his plans in the last second and taking Haru instead of Makoto to Australia, but it is what it is. He does whatever he can for his friends to be happy, and right now, Haru needs this. Besides, it’ll be like repaying the favour Haru and the others did for him last year.

To be fair, he should really be repaying this favour to Rei, but he’ll have to figure out another way of doing that, some other time.

“Whatever. I still think you’re too good of a friend to that guy”, Sousuke snorts before heading towards the door. Rin doesn’t comment, but leaves not too long after his friend, his bag swung over his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Makoto nearly crashes into Rin when the other walks out of the train station in Iwatobi. They stay in a tight embrace for a while, Rin running his fingers through Makoto’s hair, not saying a word. Makoto buries his face in the fabric of Rin’s hoodie, and he feels safe like this. Home, grounded, where he should be.

“Can we go to your place? I don’t wanna stand out here like an idiot forever.”

“Okay. What’s with the bag?”

He readjusts the strap on his shoulder. “I’ll tell you soon. Let’s just go.”

“Okay.”

Rin takes his hand and and sighs as they start walking, sensing Makoto’s uneasiness. “It’s just a little fight, stop freaking out about it. You and Haru are too close for this thing to split you up. Honestly, sometimes I get jealous.”

Makoto turns to his boyfriend, a puzzled frown on his face. His tears have nearly dried now, but the tight feeling in his chest still lingers stubbornly. “Jealous? What do you mean?”

“Because you’re so close. I used to think you were dating.”

“What? Me and Haru? I could never, he’s like a brother to me.”

Rin chuckles. “Yeah, I know.”

“I… I get a little jealous of you and Haru sometimes, too”, Makoto admits, and this time, it’s Rin’s turn to look at him, perplexed.

He remembers when Nagisa asked him at the regional tournament why he’d suddenly decided to race against Haru, and how he’d answered that he was probably jealous of Rin. Of course he was; he’d been terrified that the both of them would one day outrun him and abandon him because he can’t keep up. When it comes to swimming — which is really all they have — Rin and Haru are both stars shining too brightly and are too far away for him to reach.

“Why?”

“Because I’m scared I’ll be left behind. You and Haru are both on a completely different level than me, and I—”

“I won’t leave you behind, stupid”, Rin interrupts. “What makes you think that? Why do you think I’m dating you, just so I can dump you and run off with Haru? Think again. I would never,  _ever_  want to date him. He’s not my type, and we’re still supposed to be rivals, you know.”

“Oh”, Makoto says, his shoulders relaxing a little, “okay.”

When they reach the Tachibana house, Rin goes inside and talks a little with Makoto’s parents before the two of them head upstairs to get a shower and go to bed.

“Will you tell me now what the bag is for?” Makoto asks, sitting on his bed. He’s got a towel around his shoulders, and is wearing an oversize t-shirt. Honestly, Rin didn’t think there’d be anything that could ever be too big for that boyfriend of his, but he’s been proven wrong a few times.

“Alright. Don’t get upset with me now, I just… think this would be good. I’m not too happy about it, either.” He digs the tickets out of the front pocket on the bag and puts them on the bed in front of Makoto, who stares at them in disbelief. “Two tickets to Australia. One of them was meant for you, but… I’m taking Haru. Leaving tomorrow around noon. I think you know why I’m taking him.”

It honestly hurts to sit in this uncomfortable silence like this. Rin wants to apologise tenfold for not taking Makoto with him which was his original intention, but at the same time, he feels like Haru really needs this and that these tickets couldn’t have been bought at a better — or worse? — time.

“Oh”, Makoto replies, and Rin practically lurches forward and hugs his boyfriend.

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll take you to Australia some other day, but—”

Makoto laughs a little. “Rin, it’s fine. Really, I’m… I’m glad you’re taking Haru, and while I’d be honoured to go with you one day, I don’t want you to spend money on tickets to Australia yet again. Especially on me. I’d go with you, but I want to pay for myself.”

Rin snorts. “If I’m taking you, then I’m paying for the damn tickets, and that’s all there is to it.” He softens a little and pulls back to look at Makoto. “You sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna miss you while you’re gone, though.”

“Jeez, you’re so clingy”, he says, but he’s secretly glad Makoto  _is_  clingy.

 

* * *

 

Getting Haru to agree to the whole thing hadn’t been easy, but Rin eventually managed, and the two flew to Sydney. After a long talk on the beach and a visit to Rin’s old host family, Rin and Haruka have a mishap at their hotel for the night before they eventually have to settle for that one queen-sized bed.

No, it can’t be a queen, it has to be smaller. They’re literally  _touching_  each other when lying straight like arrows, and while Rin absolutely doesn’t think of Haru that way and never will, it still feels wrong when he’s thinking about Makoto. He knows he’d  _definitely_  get jealous if Makoto had been in his position right now, back to back with Haru in a small bed.

He sighs exasperatedly and pulls the duvet up further. “I can’t believe this.”

“Just sleep and it’ll be over faster”, Haru murmurs.

“I guess you’re right.”

Silence envelops them, but Rin still can’t sleep. There are still far too many thoughts running through his mind, and he needs to vent them before he can ever hope of falling asleep. Besides, he should probably tell Haru why he had those tickets to Australia in the first place...

“Haru?” he whispers.

“Yeah.”

“Listen... don’t get mad or anything now, I want to tell you this because I think you should know.”

“Okay”, Haru replies, his tone a litlte suspicious. “Talk.”

Rin exhales slowly, wondering if he’ll regret this, if he and Haru are going to fight, too. “The tickets you and I used to get here and will use to get back home were originally intended for me and Makoto. I was going to bring him here today.”

Haru flinches, bumping against Rin’s back, and he prepares for the worst. “Why did you take me here if you could’ve gone with Makoto instead?”

“Because you needed this. And honestly, while I’m a little sad I couldn’t take Makoto with me, I’m still glad I took you here. You seem... better than before. And it was worth it. That’s why. I took a risk, and I’m glad I did.”

Now, all Rin has to figure out is how the hell he’s supposed to afford coming back here again, and this time with Makoto. The sad part is that it’ll probably be a while, but he’ll just have to put up with it. He made his own choice, and in the end, he knows Haru needed this more than Rin and Makoto needed it for their relationship. It isn’t as if their relationship is  _bad_ , quite the opposite — and that’s why Haru’s here now instead of Makoto.

"Guess I’ll have to apologise to Makoto for  _several_  reasons when I get back”, Haru murmurs before he yawns. Rin laughs a little.

“Nah, he said he’s fine with it, and that he knows you needed this more than he did. So just take it.”

“Fine.” Haru goes silent for a while, and Rin almost thinks he’s fallen asleep, but then the raven-haired boy speaks up again. “Thanks, Rin.”

He grins to himself in the darkness. “Sure.”

 

* * *

 

When they’ve landed and are about to walk out of the airport, they’re greeted by none other than Makoto, and Rin is of course the first one to approach him, or rather — attack-hug him. Makoto laughs into Rin’s shirt, embracing him whilst lifting him up, and Rin locks his legs around his boyfriend’s middle.

“I’m home”, he says, and Makoto tightens his embrace.

“Welcome home, Rin.”

Makoto’s and Haru’s reunion and reconciliation is far more tense and awkward, but they end up being friends again as usual, which is all the three of them had wanted to begin with.

When they exit the airport, the brunet takes Rin’s hand in his, and Rin looks at him.

“Thank you for doing this, Rin”, Makoto says.

“You already said that.”

“I know, but I can’t say it enough.”

Rin huffs. “Yeah.”

“Oi, I’m still here”, Haru reminds them, and Rin turns to the other side to glare at his friend.

“Oh, I’m quite aware, trust me.”

Makoto laughs again. “You two never change, do you?”


	42. SouHaru #10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru wins an Olympic medal.**
> 
> Asked by: [holdontoyourhulahoops](http://holdontoyourhulahoops.tumblr.com).

Sousuke had found his boyfriend to be absolutely insane for not thinking he’d want to be there to see Haruka compete in the Olympics. Why the hell  _wouldn’t_  he want to be there?! First off, his  _boyfriend_  is competing against scarily talented swimmers from all over the world — second… it’s the Olympics. What other reason do you need to want to go?

But Sousuke knows what Haru’s probably thinking when he says Sousuke probably wouldn’t want to be there, too. And it was something he’d thought about before they left home, whether he’d handle being there, in that environment again, seeing as he’d never swim again himself.

He leans over and grips the railing in front of him so hard his knuckles go white. There are people standing all around him cheering for the swimmers in the pool below, but they don’t sound as excited as Sousuke feels. He watches the swimmer in the fourth lane, seeing him make near perfect turns and kick off with such elegant, powerful movements it’s almost mesmerising.

Sousuke has finally understood all the hype around Haru that he’s heard of from Rin all these years. How he’s ‘like a monster in the water’, how fast he is when he swims and how beautiful his swimming is. Now that he sees it for himself, he can’t do anything but agree. Because what he sees is indeed beautiful, and he’s so proud to call that man his boyfriend.

Haru enters his last lap in second place, and Sousuke’s practically on his toes. He keeps cheering, keeps screaming the black-haired man’s name and hoping it reaches his ears despite everyone else screaming around him. The air in the arena feels thick, and Sousuke ignores the fact that he feels like he’s going to faint. He’s not going to, he’s just excited. He even has a water bottle with him and has had plenty to drink that day, so he’ll be fine.

An American swimmer is currently competing with Haruka for the gold medal, and Sousuke feels like he should know who said swimmer is, but he’s too occupied with the Japanese swimmer that he doesn’t care. Will it be silver, or gold, even? He feels like he’s going to implode from the excitement and nervousness, and he’s already gone back to his old habit of biting on his nails when he gets nervous, but that’s the least of his concerns.

When Haru’s hands hit the tile, Sousuke’s eyes dart to the score board above the pool, and everyone around him go completely silent for a second, before the arena’s practically roaring and vibrating louder than before. Sousuke lets his jaw drop and his eyes widen at the sight.

“ _Nanase Haruka for the Japanese team wins the gold medal for 400 metre freestyle_ ”, the female announcer says in the speakers, and Sousuke’s rendered speechless.

Haruka gets out of the pool, and is congratulated by the other swimmers, some just giving him an acknowledging nod, some giving him a pat on the back or shaking his hand. Sousuke’s watching it all from the stands, and it feels like a dream. A dream come true. Whose dream, though; his or Haruka’s?

Sousuke almost cries when he sees his boyfriend receive the gold medal, the bouquet of flowers and a ridiculous stuffed toy for some reason. When Haruka bows in front of the cameras, Sousuke feels like he’s fallen in love all over again. And when Haru’s finally,  _finally_  off the podium, Sousuke almost runs up to him like the lovestruck fool he is, and he embraces his Olympic gold medalist.

“I’m so proud of you, Haruka”, he murmurs. “You did it.”

“I did. Thank you, Sousuke”, Haru replies, and Sousuke tightens his embrace, unwilling to let go.

 

* * *

 

Well back in Japan and in Makoto’s and Rin’s apartment, the two of them can’t let Haru breathe even for a second. Sousuke watches them from the kotatsu and laughs before taking a sip of his beer. It’d been a long flight, and he’s going to be jetlagged for at least two days, but he wouldn’t have dreamt of staying at home, despite Haruka’s concerns.

The gold medal still hangs around Haru’s neck, Makoto and Rin constantly wanting to touch it. Rin even bit into it once to prove that ‘it’s actual gold, and won’t leave bite marks’.

“With your teeth, I think it’d still leave an imprint, whether it’s gold or not”, Sousuke says, and Haru snorts a laugh, after which Rin flips his best friend off.

Haruka exhales in exhaustion and sits down between Sousuke’s legs by the kotatsu. He leans against Sousuke’s chest and looks up.

“Sousuke.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad you came.”

He smiles a little. “Me too. Thanks for letting me come.”

“Was it difficult?”

"A little, yeah”, Sousuke admits. “But I’m still glad I went. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to see you win gold.”

Haruka frowns and looks away. “You could’ve watched it on TV here with Rin and Makoto.”

“Not the same thing.”

“Haru, stop being so damn modest”, Rin chides, and Makoto shoots them both an apologetic smile; as usual being the one to apologise for his boyfriend’s behaviour.

Sousuke leans back against the kotatsu and sighs. He notices Haru’s still wearing his medal, and lets out a snort.

“Not gonna take that off, huh?”

Haru looks down at the medal and  _smirks_ , and Sousuke knows that’s a bad sign. “I can wear it to bed if you want.”

“You—!”

But he doesn’t get to finish his sentence before both Rin and Makoto practically roll on the floor with laughter. He grumbles and leans his head back again, after which Haru sits up and turns around to lean forward and kiss him.

“Thank you”, he says, and Sousuke smiles, immediately softening for his boyfriend.

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

That night, Sousuke finds himself unable to sleep, while Haru’s been out like a light for a while now. Sousuke lies with his arms around Haruka, whose head is nestled in the crook of the other’s neck, a standard sleeping position for the two. The taller man listens to his boyfriend’s breathing, feels his steady heartbeat, and that sense of pride from before wells up within him again.

It still feels surreal to him, and he’s pretty sure it has to feel even more so to Haru. The best part is that this is just the beginning, and Sousuke feels honoured to be taken along on the ride, even if he isn’t actively participating in it himself. Standing on the sidelines isn’t so bad, either, especially when the one you’re rooting for is your own boyfriend.

He hasn’t given up on his dream, he’s just found a new one. A new dream that involves a new person with a different meaning.


	43. MakoRei #13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Rei and Makoto meet several years after high school, upon where they go out for drinks and later end up having drunk sex, after which Rei confesses his feelings.**
> 
>  
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“ _Next stop, Nakano. Please do not forget any bags when you disembark the train_.”

Rei sighs and gets up from his seat. It’s been a long day packed with long lectures, and a seminar which he could’ve easily done without. He doesn’t have much left to do before he graduates, anyway, and he’s going to for sure graduate in at least top five of his class — so he probably wouldn’t lose much from skipping. Even so, his old habits still stick after all these years, and Rei attends every lecture and seminar unless he’s really sick.

As usual, the train station is almost over-crowded when he gets off and tries to make his way out onto the streets. It’s to be expected after four in the afternoon, after all — with businessmen coming home from work and students coming from school or university, much like Rei himself. He’s lived here for three years now, and the amount of people in Tokyo can still overwhelm him.

To say that he misses Iwatobi is a vast understatement. He misses the little seaside town where things were a lot easier, where he knew everyone and where he met all of his friends. Here in Tokyo, he feels isolated, lonely and like he’s far smaller and less significant. Like it wouldn’t matter if he disappeared, and that no one would really go looking for him if he did.

He makes his way past a bunch of noisy teenagers and shoves his hands down the pockets on his coat. The walk home is about five minutes or so, and the big bonus is that he always walks past Starbucks where he can get his morning coffee. As he does walk by Starbucks, he looks in through the window and considers going in to buy a snack or something, but when he looks at the line behind the registers, he immediately regrets the thought.

And that’s when he sees  _him_. In Nakano? Why here, of all places? Maybe he’s just on a visit. Yeah, that has to be it. But who lives here that Makoto knows? It’s all too peculiar of a coincidence that Rei has a hard time believing it, despite desperately wanting to.

He realises a little too late that he’s been blatantly just staring at the man in line to get his coffee, and when he turns around, Rei snaps out of it and immediately begins to walk away. His heart hammers against his ribcage and he can hear it in his ears as he walks with long strides towards his apartment complex.  _This isn’t happening_.

Except it is, and Rei quickly realises just how screwed he is if Makoto does live in Nakano.

 

* * *

 

“ _Oh my god, that’s amazing_ ”, Nagisa says breathlessly. “ _You should call him. Invite him out for drinks or something, I bet he wants to see you, too!_ ”

“I’m not going to call him”, Rei replies with a frown that his best friend can’t see, anyway. “He probably doesn’t even want to meet me. It’s been three years, Nagisa-kun.”

“ _Come on, don’t be like that — of course he does! Just try. Say you saw him and that you’d be interested in catching up. I know Mako-chan would love to. Please?_ ”

It isn’t like Rei doesn’t want to see Makoto again, because it’s been something he’s wanted to every day for the past three years. They’ve stayed in sporadic contact over the internet, but that’s been about it. They were never really the best of friends in high school, either, so that might be a reason as to why they haven’t been talking too often.

Rei and Makoto have both been busy with studies, too, and now that Makoto’s been out of university for a year, he’s probably busy with work. Rei can’t help but wonder what Makoto works with, but he quickly disregards the thought, not wanting to think about the other man more than he has to.

He huffs, irritated by Nagisa’s persistence and at himself for not shutting up about this. Because of course Nagisa wouldn’t just give it up like that; he’s been aware of Rei’s feelings ever since they started bubbling up in high school, and while he’s always been supportive of Rei and wanted for him to confess, Rei also finds it troublesome that his friend is this pushy.

Because he knows he’ll never win in the end.

“Alright, I’ll try”, he finally says, giving in, and takes his phone away from his ear as Nagisa cheers loudly on the other end. When it’s died down, he puts the phone back to his ear. “But if it doesn’t go well, then I don’t want you to bring this up ever again. It’s for the best if we just forget about each other.”

“ _I wish you wouldn’t be so pessimistic. But I’m glad you’re willing to try; I’m sure Mako-chan wants to see you, too. Good luck, Rei-chan_.”

Rei and Nagisa end their phone call, and Rei leans back against the back of his couch, closing his eyes. He takes a deep breath, and then sends a message to Makoto, hoping he hasn’t changed it since they went their separate ways after high school.

 **You** :  _Hello, Makoto-senpai, it’s me, Rei. I saw you near Nakano station, and I was wondering if you live nearby. I would like to meet you and catch up with you, if you would like that, too. Regards, Rei_.

 

He slaps himself over his forehead at how incredibly dumb and stiff his text message had sounded, but it’s too late to change it now that he’s sent it. He puts his phone down next to him on the couch and closes his eyes. It isn’t even guaranteed that Makoto still has his old number — Rei really should’ve double-checked it with Nagisa before the two had ended their phone call, but he might have to do that if he doesn’t receive a reply before tomorrow evening.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t even take a few minutes before a reply lands in his inbox, and Rei flinches as his phone vibrates next to him. He picks it up hesitantly and stares at the name on the screen, confirming that Makoto hasn’t changed his number, and that Makoto’s actually  _replied_  to his text. A shaky finger presses said message, and Rei takes a deep breath before diving in.

 **Makoto-senpai** :  _Rei! Ah, it’s been a while — I’m so glad you contacted me! Oh, so that was you, I thought I saw you outside Starbucks. Funny coincidence! And yes, I would love to meet up. How about tomorrow evening, since it’s Friday?_

Rei pinches himself in the arm, his eyebrows raised in surprise and his heart racing in his chest. No, it’s definitely not a dream. He grins widely and stupidly to himself as he sends off a affirmative response. To think that it’s taken him three years to build up the courage to do this, and it’d end up being this easy. If only he would’ve known this sooner.

 

* * *

 

Rei arrives outside Bar Nash not too far from the station at half past nine that Saturday night. He’d invited Nagisa over to help him pick out an outfit that wasn’t  _too_  extravagant and still not too casual. He’d eventually landed on a white, long-sleeved shirt accompanied by a black vest, black trousers and a thin, light-blue shirt wrapped around his shoulders in case it got cold when he’d head home for the night.

He bites nervously on his lower lip as he stands and waits for his company for the night. He’s a little early, but that isn’t really anything out of the ordinary; Rei actually prefers being early, rather than being the one coming late. And he doesn’t mind if others come late, it’s just that he’d feel terrible if he were the one in that position himself.

“Rei! I’m sorry I kept you waiting!” comes a voice to his left, and Rei turns to face the man he hasn’t seen in literally  _years_ , and when he does, all of the air rushes out of his lungs, and he’s taken aback quite a bit. Has Makoto grown taller? Not only that, but he looks like a proper adult now, and it’s almost scary.

“You didn’t… keep me waiting”, Rei stutters as Makoto nearly crashes into him and pulls him in for a hug that makes his heart skip a beat. The feeling of Makoto’s body against his, Makoto’s scent… it’s all a little overwhelming, and Rei quickly pulls back. Makoto smiles widely at him.

“It’s been so long since I last saw you! And  _wow_ , you’ve changed. That’s a good thing, by the way.”

“Y-yeah… thank you”, he says, not knowing what else would fit. He gets nervous and turns his gaze downward instead, staring at his feet.

“Shall we go in? I don’t know if you’ve ever been here before, but this bar has some  _amazing_  beer.”

 

* * *

 

And Rei has to admit, it  _is_  pretty amazing. He’s never really been much of a beer person, but this bottle he’s just finished might just have turned him around.

(It’s his second bottle, if you’re not counting the other drinks he’s had before these. He just doesn’t want to admit it to himself.)

“So, Rei”, Makoto says and leans across the table. He’s drunk, definitely. Not that Rei isn’t almost there himself, but still. “How’s university going for you? You’re about done soon, aren’t you?”

Rei nods. “I am. Graduating this winter, and then I’ll be out in the real world, hopefully finding a job within the science field soon.”

“Ooh”, Makoto slurs and takes a swig out of his bottle. “I’ve always… admired you for that. For… being so smart. And good with stuff.”

“Stuff?” Rei says through a laugh. His entire body feels light with all the alcohol flowing inside him, and he’s already been to the restroom twice. It’s just past midnight, but the bar isn’t  _too_  packed with people. Just the way Rei wants it to be.

“You know what I mean”, Makoto says with a dismissive wave. “I mean… you’re smart. And you’re good with pretty much all subjects in school.”

“Not English, though.”

“Who is, really? Don’t say Rin, he lives in Australia and therefore doesn’t count.”

Rei smiles. Apparently, Makoto’s been working at a swimming centre in Shinjuku, teaching children between the ages eight and fourteen, and he’d gotten the job pretty much as soon as he graduated from university. It’s only a five minute ride by train, so he’d gotten incredibly lucky. Rei hopes he’ll get as lucky himself, but seeing as he’ll be in a completely different field, the chances might not be too high.

Hanging out with Makoto like this isn’t as heavy on him emotionally as he’d previously thought. Well, that might be because he’s pretty much drunk at this point, and therefore not in his right mind. It’s nice, though; they’re able to talk even more now than they did when they still attended the same high school, and it feels like he’s getting to know Makoto on a more personal level, not just as his upperclassman. Which, technically, he isn’t anymore, either — but Rei wouldn’t even dream of dropping the -senpai from Makoto’s name. It’s a matter of respect, really, and he has a great deal of it for Makoto.

Last orders were taken at two, but Makoto and Rei end up staying until the bar closes at three. When they both wobble their way out of the bar, Makoto stops by a nearby lamppost and holds onto it for support. “I think… I had a little too much to drink”, he says, laughing.

“Me, too. I mean, I had too much to— to drink, too”, Rei slurs back, and Makoto’s laughter increases. It’s like music in Rei’s ears, and he feels like it intoxicates him even more so than the alcohol has for the past few hours.

It’s gotten cold out, but Rei still doesn’t feel the need to put on the shirt he still has loosely wrapped around his neck, draped over his shoulders. It’s not that far of a walk back to his apartment, either, so bringing it had ended up being useless in the end.

“Hey, I… was wondering something”, Makoto says and walks closer to Rei. He stops dangerously close, so close that Rei can smell the beer on his breath mixed with his cologne. Rei swallows hard and doesn’t even dare to blink at this moment. What the hell is going on?

Before he has a chance to reflect on the situation, Makoto practically lurches forward and captures his lips in a kiss. The impact makes Rei take a few steps back, and he’s pushed against the wall of the building they’d only just exited. Gladly, they’re pretty much the only people around, so they don’t run the risk of getting caught making out in a back alley.

Makoto’s fingers twist in Rei’s hair, and he lets out tiny moaning noises, barely making it past his throat. Rei, still a bit stunned, tries to keep up with the other and with what’s going on, bringing his arms around Makoto’s neck. It lasts for what feels like several minutes, and when Makoto finally pulls back, Rei feels like he’s in a daze.

He clears his throat. “You wanted to… er, ask me something?”

Makoto looks at him dumbfounded for a few seconds, before it seems to click in his head. “Oh, yeah. Would you want to… come back to my place? I live, like, five minutes away. Tops.”

Rei blinks slowly, trying to register what he’s just been asked. To sleep at Makoto’s flat? Sleep… or  _sleep_? Whichever it is, there’s no way he can just decline, no matter how hesitant he’d be if he hadn’t been this drunk.

“Yes”, he blurts out. “I would love to.”

 

* * *

 

They barely make it inside Makoto’s apartment before they try to practically rip each other’s clothes off. Makoto haphazardly turns on the light in the hallway behind Rei, before pulling Rei towards his bedroom. So much for a tour of an apartment he’s never been in. Well, maybe that isn’t to be expected when you’re just invited over for sex and to stay the night.

Rei can’t help but hope that there’ll be more than just this, though, but that’s just one of his many unrealistic desires.

He finds out that Makoto likes it  _rough_. Not to complain, though, because Rei does, too. He absolutely loves the way he’s being fucked down into the sheets of Makoto’s bed, enjoying just how  _huge_  Makoto’s cock feels inside of him as it stretches him out.

Too immersed with the situation and with the sensation of everything, Rei doesn’t care about trying to restrain his voice. Gladly, Makoto’s the same — and once they come, they’re both loud, it’s messy, and it’s absolutely wonderful.

Rei lies with his head resting on Makoto’s chest, and he listens to the other’s steady heartbeat. He’s probably not completely sober yet, but the headache has definitely started to kick in, and he knows he won’t enjoy waking up whenever he does. Even so, he wouldn’t ever dream of saying he regrets what happened tonight.

To think that he owes it all to Nagisa who kept pestering him about contacting Makoto… of course, that isn’t anything he’s willing to tell his best friend, since that would just be like pouring gasoline over an already raging fire.

“I like you”, Rei suddenly blurts out, realising he’s probably not entirely sober, after all. Even so, he decides to go for gold, to risk it all and lay out all cards on the table. Because, really, he doesn’t have much to lose as it is. If Makoto doesn’t want to see him again after this, it wouldn’t change much. The only thing that would be different is the emotional pain, but it’s something Rei figures he’ll get over. Eventually. Maybe.

He takes a deep breath. “I’ve liked you for a long time. Several years, in fact. I was too terrified to tell you, because I always thought you and Haruka-senpai were a thing. Maybe you are, but I felt like I needed to get this off my chest finally.”

Silence falls again, and Rei wonders if maybe Makoto’s fallen asleep, after all. It wouldn’t surprise him; the sex  _had_  been pretty amazing, and they were both pretty drunk. Still are, to some extent, but that’s beside the point. All Rei can think of and will probably think of for several weeks is the fact that he’s had sex with Makoto. It’s supposed to start with love, sure — but this is probably all he’ll ever get, so Rei takes whatever he’s given.

“I’d never be able to see Haru that way, that’s… a little gross”, Makoto finally says, and Rei flinches, having thought Makoto had fallen asleep. “I like you, too, Rei.”

“You do?” Rei asks, and he hoists himself up on his elbows on either side of Makoto. The brunet grins.

“Yeah. Why’d you think I kissed you, and invited you over?”

Rei’s eyes widen for a second at the revelation of this very interesting information, but then frowns in confusion. “I just thought you wanted to be nice and let me sleep over so I wouldn’t have to walk all the way back. Even though that wouldn’t have been too far to walk.”

Makoto laughs. “No, no — that wasn’t it. I see you’re still not very perceptive when it comes to these things.”

“I can’t help it”, he replies, suddenly embarrassed. “So does that mean I can see you again?”

“Of course it does, Rei. I’d love to see you again, and again. It seems fate brought us together one more time, and I definitely don’t want to take that for granted, let it slip out of my hands. I did it once before, and that was dumb.”

“Well, you had to move away because you had to study, so that’s different”, Rei argues. “Don’t feel bad about that, it was all for the sake of you fulfilling your dream, after all. Everything else should come second.”

Makoto places a hand behind Rei’s head and pulls him down for a kiss. When he pulls back, he’s still smiling, and it makes Rei feel like a thousand suns are shining down on him, like everything’s going to be okay and like this is where he belongs. By Makoto’s side.

“You haven’t changed, and I’m glad for that”, Makoto says and kisses the previously bespectacled man, his glasses having been discarded a long time ago. “What do you say about lunch tomorrow when we’ve woken up and at least taken a shower?”

Rei lies down again and exhales a sigh. He smiles to himself. “That sounds good.”


	44. SouHaru #11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Haru meets merman!Sousuke.**
> 
> Asked by [heyhay13](http://heyhay13.tumblr.com).

Haru’s always been more than fond of the ocean. The way the waves always come in to kiss the shore, only to be sent back but returning for more. At the same time as it may be beautiful, it can also be fearsome and unpredictable, but maybe that’s why Haru loves it so much. There’s more to it than you usually see when you look out into the horizon and watch the calm waves sway back and forth, like a cradle lulling a baby to sleep.

He finds solace in the ocean; being able to go for a swim in it whenever he pleases, and knowing it’ll always be there to welcome him back no matter when or what mood he’s in. Sometimes he feels like maybe he was supposed to be born below the water, belonging to a species that can breathe and live underneath the surface.

At least that’d explain why he’s so infatuated with water to begin with.

Haruka always goes for a swim in the ocean when no one else is around. It’s better that way, not having other people around him to disturb his peace when he’s in the water. It’s almost like a sacred ritual to him, except there’s less chanting and no weird ritual-esque things to do. It’s just about being in the water, feeling it embrace him, lying on his back and letting the waves take him wherever they want to.

It’s odd, because he swears he’s felt someone’s eyes on him several times before. Not someone standing on the shore or anything, but… someone else in the water? Maybe he’s just imagining things, but he’s certainly felt someone else’s presence when he’s been in the water. Maybe it’s some creep stalking him… no, that sounds a bit far-fetched.

 

* * *

 

He swims out to his favourite spot about twenty metres out and a bit to the side, where there are a few rocks in different sizes placed in a weird circle, and leans against one of them. It’s still warm from having been exposed to the sun during the entire day, and it feels nice in contrast to the cool water. It’s a spot not a lot of people seem to think about, but Haru likes it that way, because it makes it feel like it’s his own, private little area.

“You’re here again”, comes a voice behind him that makes Haru flinch and immediately turn around, almost slipping into the water as he does. Something swims towards him, and when it — he? — stops in front of him, Haru inhales sharply.

“Oh my god”, he blurts out, “you’re… a mermaid?”

The man in front of him snorts and shoots him an annoyed look. “Merman, excuse you very much. And yeah. Why, you’ve never seen one?”

“No. I didn’t think you existed. I… also didn’t think you could speak, at least not Japanese.”

The merman bursts out laughing, his broad shoulders going up and down, eyes crinkling at the corners. He’s absolutely beautiful, Haru thinks, with green-ish blue scales beginning just below his waist and trailing down to a long tail with fins. This isn’t happening. Has Haru really just met a  _merman_?

“Well, I guess I proved you wrong now, huh. I’ve picked up on the Japanese I hear from you humans coming here to swim every day. I know a few languages as a result of that; I’ve been here for a while, after all.”

“How long?” Haru finds himself asking. The merman shrugs.

“Long enough. So, you wanna go for a swim with me? I could use some company. It’s a bit boring around here lately.”

Haru’s eyes widen, dark blue eyes meeting teal. He doesn’t want to brag, but he feels like he’s got a pretty decent lung capacity. Even so, it probably doesn’t stand a chance against the one of someone who was born to live under the surface.

“Would we go underwater?” he asks, and the merman shoots him a puzzled look.

“I don’t think you could last very long if you did. I wanna see how fast you can swim. Let’s race. What’s your name?”

“Haru.”

“Like the season? I like that. I’m Sousuke.”

He doesn’t feel the need to explain that Haru is just short for ‘Haruka’, because he’s not in the mood to hear the usual ‘ _isn’t that a girl’s name?_ ’ question follow it. If he got a hundred yen coin for every time he’s heard it since he was young, he’d be able to probably move far, far away from this place he’s wanted to get away from for so long.

“Nice to… meet you”, Haru responds, still stunned. If you hadn’t seen his tail, you could easily mistake Sousuke for any human being. Haru can’t help but wonder if he grows legs once he gets up on land, but he figures he’s just watched The Little Mermaid a few times too many considering his weird, unrealistic imagination.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how about that race? From here to… that cliff over there”, Sousuke says and points. Haru looks in the direction the other man points, and he nods.

“Okay.”

It’s probably about a hundred metres, maybe a little more, but it isn’t a distance Haru hasn’t swum before. Having been on the swim team all the way up to high school, he’s quite used to swimming long distances up to at least four hundred metres. So he and Sousuke get into their positions, and Haru almost wants to give the other a head-start, because he’s so curious to see what it looks like when a merman swims.

“Ready?” the merman asks, and Haru nods, staring straight in front of him, at his goal. Sousuke counts down from three, and when he hits zero, Haru kicks off from one of the rocks behind him, lifting his arm above him to initiate his signature front crawl. In the corner of his eye, he notices that the merman is swimming  _butterfly_ , and it’s so much more beautiful than the best human butterfly swimmer could ever achieve. It’s probably because of his tail elegantly flapping up and down, but it’s still such a sight.

Of course, Haruka quickly finds himself falling behind, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up. Quite the contrary; Haru increases the force in his kicks and arm movements to push himself forward at a greater speed. He manages to catch up to the merman just twenty metres away from the ‘finish line’, but even so, the merman wins by just a hair. When he touches the side of the cliff, Haru gets up and catches his breath.

“Good race”, Sousuke comments. “It’s been a while since someone gave me quite the run for my money. Is that what you call it? I don’t have any kind of currency, though.”

Haru laughs a little. “Yeah. Good race. I… liked that.”

“We should do it again. I don’t expect you to win over me, though, but it’s always nice to win a race.”

The shorter male scoffs. “Don’t be so sure. I’ll train even harder from now on to one day beat you.”

“I’ll hold you to it”, Sousuke says and smiles, making Haru’s heart skip a beat.

Maybe living in Iwatobi isn’t so bad, after all.


	45. Chapter 8 continuation - MakoRin: Cheating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You asked for it, I wanted to write it, so here it is: the continuation to the MakoRin cheating prompt, found in [chapter 8](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/9495705). It's a little long... I couldn't help it.

Tears are burning behind his eyelids when Makoto storms out of his and Rin's house, heading for Haru's. He feels like such an idiot for not having seen the signs. Of course it had to be Sousuke, they've practically grown up together. Wouldn't that make it even more disgusting, though? Makoto can't even picture himself doing anything more than friendly with Haru, because they're like brothers. So why did Rin kiss Sousuke?

Makoto's not even sure if that's all they did. What if there's something Rin isn't telling him, something he's absolutely sure will shatter the trust Makoto has for him, something that'll most definitely ruin their relationship? How would he even begin to try and mend things with Rin, try to move on from this? All he'd see when trying to kiss his boyfriend is him kissing someone else. Kissing Sousuke. Not to mention having sex with Rin — no, that'd be impossible now. So does that mean this is really it?

He finally reaches Haru's house on the verge of breaking down, and this time, he doesn't knock and go in like he usually does, but just knocks and waits for his friend to come open. For some reason, it doesn't feel like he can and should do that in this situation, but as for why, he doesn't know. Soon enough, though, Haru actually does come to the door. Makoto practically crashes into him when he leaps into Haru's arms, and he lets out a shaky breath.

"Please let me stay here for a while", he whispers, voice trembling. A little stunned, it takes Haru a few seconds to gather what's going on, but he eventually puts his hands on Makoto's back.

"Just come in", he says, as welcoming as always. Makoto obliges.

 

* * *

 

Makoto doesn't feel like talking. He's angry and disgusted with both Rin and himself, and he doesn't want to bring it up to Haru right now, knowing he won't be able to keep his tears from falling. It's too soon, he just needs some time to think. Gladly, Haru gives him the time he needs without pressuring him or anything, and he still manages to go to work as usual. It's become a habit for Makoto to mask his feelings behind a smile, so even though he feels like he's crumbling on the inside, he makes sure it doesn't show externally when he's teaching kids to swim at ITSC.

But of course, bottling up his emotions and tears leads to him feeling agitated by the end of the day, and when he's been doing the same thing for almost a week straight, Haru decides to confront him. "Makoto, we need to talk", he says as Makoto comes in with an exhausted sigh. Immediately, Makoto is a deer in the headlights, and he considers turning around and bolting out the door again.

Haru signs for him to sit down by the kotatsu where he's already sitting, and Makoto hesitantly does as he's told. He sits down, making sure to leave a little room between him and his friend, but of course — Haru sees straight through him and scoots closer. When he does, he puts a hand behind Makoto's head and pulls it towards his chest without a word, and Makoto immediately breaks down, finally letting his tears fall.

He's ashamed of himself for not being able to stop crying, but of course, Haru doesn't seem to mind it. Makoto hasn't cried in front of anyone in several years; in fact — the last person who  _did_ see him cry was Haru. So maybe this isn't so bad, after all. Haru has seen all of his sides since they first met when they were children, and he isn't one to be bothered by these things, either. It's just the whole thing of Makoto refusing to show himself weak in front of others, he wants to be the one to protect and help others, not having to be the one in need of said things.

When he's calmed down a bit, Haru pulls back a bit to look at him. It's a little awkward with Makoto leaning his head against Haru's chest with him being the taller of the two, but he likes the feeling of it. Hearing Haruka's heartbeat soothes him, makes him feel safe.

"What happened?" Haru asks, voice soft. Makoto sighs.

"Rin kissed Sousuke. Or the other way around, either way — he was in on it."

Haru furrows his eyebrows. "Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah."

The mental, self-created image of Rin and Sousuke making out involuntarily enters his brain again, and Makoto shudders. His heart aches at the thought; what made Rin want to kiss Sousuke in the first place? Is he dissatisfied with what he already has with Makoto? Did he plan on going further? Makoto can't stop his train of thought from completely derailing, and it makes him conflicted. Is this the way he sees Rin, as someone who would without a doubt cheat on his partner? On the other hand, Rin  _had_ admitted to having kissed Sousuke, so maybe he's not entirely to blame for that.

"Did he tell you why he did it?"

"He said he didn't know", Makoto mutters. "I don't believe him. Because of course he has to know, why else would he have done it?"

"Maybe he was drunk", Haru ponders out loud, and Makoto flinches.

"That's even worse."

"Is it? At least then he wouldn't have been in his right mind, with alcohol having influenced him and all."

"People always say you let out your inner emotions when you're drunk, though", Makoto retorts stubbornly.

"Exactly. And what if he _wasn't_ intoxicated?"

That's when it hits him.  _Inner emotions_. Maybe Rin  _is_ telling the truth, that it was an honest mistake? Maybe it wasn't even initiated by him in the first place? Makoto doesn't want to hope for much in case he ends up being wrong, but at least it's a possibility. It isn't as if he wants to just give up what he has with Rin, of course — he would do anything to fight for their relationship. And maybe he does want a proper explanation from Rin, after all.

Makoto sighs and sits up. Haru lets go of him and wraps his arms around his legs instead. "Talk to him. Listen to what he has to say, and don't just run off again. Don't... don't make the same mistake I did."

The memory of that day still makes Makoto's heart ache, the day he and Haru had their very first fight. It had happened when they were in their third year of high school, the two of them standing up on the hill during the spring festival. He'll probably never be able to forget the look in Haru's eyes when he'd accused Makoto of pushing his ideals onto others when he hadn't even decided on his future himself. The thing is, he  _had_ decided, but he'd been terrified of telling Haru because he feared how his best friend would react to it. And of course, that came to bite him in the end, leading to Rin taking Haru to Australia.

Sure, in the end, things had turned out for the better, and the two learnt to be more open and honest with each other, but Makoto still wishes it would've happened in a different way.

"Haru, that wasn't your fault", Makoto replies quietly. "I should've told you—"

"That's not the point of this. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't run off before you let him finish talking. Don't ruin your relationship with him over something that might be a big misunderstanding, or something that you two can overcome with a little effort. I don't want you to, because I... I know he makes you happy. And you make him happy, too."

Makoto sighs. "Yeah, I'll... listen to whatever he has to say."

"Good", Haruka replies, just as the doorbell rings, "because I told him to come over."

"What?! Haru, you can't just—"

"Yes, I can. And I did."

All Makoto can do is watch his best friend get up to open the door, and his heartbeat has suddenly gone through the roof. He hasn't seen Rin in over a  _week_  — how's he going to react when he does? Will Rin look any different? Happy, sad, guilty, angry, neutral? He doesn't know what he wants to see, because as much as he wants Rin to feel sorry for what he's done, he also doesn't want to see the redhead with a sad expression on his face. Rin has endured too many hardships in his life already, and doesn't need yet another one to overcome. To be fair, he's brought this one upon himself, and there isn't really anything Makoto can do about it, unless he just lets himself get trampled all over.

 

* * *

 

The door opens, and Makoto hears what sounds almost like a hiss. He turns around, and there are two people standing outside. It isn't just Rin — Sousuke's with him, too. The sight of the two of them standing next to each other makes Makoto's stomach turn. If this isn't the height of irony, he doesn't know what is.

"What are  _you_ doing here?" Haru says between gritted teeth, and Makoto now knows whom the hiss came from. "You of all people should know you're not welcome."

"I'm not here to see  _you_ , Nanase", Sousuke bites back. "I'm here because I need to apologise to Tachibana. Just happened to be in your goddamn house, that's why I'm here. And I won't stay long."

"Really? Thought you were here to ruin a perfectly good relationship. Oh wait, you might already have. Good job, Yamazaki. You're not only good at screwing up things for yourself, but for others, too."

The hatred is evident in Haru's voice, and it's only now that Makoto realises just how bad things are between him and Sousuke. Of course, this situation may have just worsened things tenfold, but there's something even deeper lying buried within it all.

"Fuck you, Nanase — don't you  _dare_ bring up that right now."

"I'll do whatever I want; this is my house, Yamazaki."

"Haru, can we please just come in?" comes Rin's voice to interrupt the bickering, and Makoto's heart stops beating. He swallows hard, knowing it's only a matter of seconds, maybe a minute, until he's reunited with Rin again. It certainly isn't a very happy reunion, and one that Makoto actually dreads, which is the first time for him. Whenever Rin's come back to him in the past, whether it'd be after a silly fight or him travelling somewhere, it's always been such a relief to welcome Rin back into his arms.

"Fine. I'm kicking Yamazaki out the second he makes Makoto uncomfortable, though."

Makoto expects Sousuke to snort or something else to spite Haru, but there is none. Nothing. All he hears is the shuffling of feet, shoes being placed by the little step into the actual house, and then he hears said footsteps come closer. Very hesitantly, he turns his head to face the three coming in. Haru sits down by the kotatsu, a ticked off expression written all over his face and his mouth formed in a straight line. The other two sit down not too long after, and there's a very weird kind of distance between them when they do. It almost makes Makoto want to laugh, but he doesn't have the energy to.

Rin's and Makoto's eyes meet, and Makoto immediately wants to escape, to get out of this house. He knows he can't, because Haru would be quick to stop him from doing so. He's never done well with confrontations, and while he wants to get better at dealing with them, this one definitely isn't good for practice.

"Makoto, I... I missed you", Rin says, and his voice is wavering. Of course it is; Rin has always been prone to crying and shedding tears like no one's business. This isn't out of the ordinary, really, but it still manages to make Makoto's heart ache. Just because he's used to seeing Rin cry doesn't mean it's gotten easier to cope with.

Makoto only manages a nod in response before he completely chickens out and looks down at his hands in his lap. The silence that falls is deafening, and Makoto just wants something,  _anything_ to pierce through it so he won't have to endure this kind of pain. Why did Haru have to invite Rin over? And why did  _Sousuke_ have to come, too, out of all people? Maybe he's here because the two of them have decided to start dating. No, he said he needed to apologise to Makoto. But for what, ruining his relationship with Rin? That'd be quite something to apologise for. Makoto hopes Sousuke wouldn't expect to be forgiven for such a thing.

He quickly disregards his weird train of thought as Sousuke turns to him. He's placed his hands in his laps, although they're more like balled into fists at this point, and he bows by the middle. "Tachibana. I'm... really sorry. I took a liberty I shouldn't have, and I ended up fucking up something I had nothing to do with to begin with. Rin is my best friend, and I want it to stay that way, despite my feelings. I promise you that it wasn't anything more than a kiss."

Haruka makes a displeased and almost disgusted sound next to Makoto. "It was still a kiss", he mutters, and Sousuke glares daggers at him.

"What the  _fuck_ , Nanase — I already told you I'm here to talk to Tachibana, and not _you_. Stay out of it!"

"I can't just sit here and let you feed my best friend lies."

"I'm not lying—!"

"Sousuke, Haru, can we... get some time alone? Please?" Makoto asks, and two sets of eyes are immediately directed towards him. He looks at them both to make sure they get his point, and then Sousuke's the first one to get up from his pillow on the floor.

"Right, yeah. Anyway, Tachibana, I really am—"

"I know", Makoto interrupts, and that's all the two of them say to each other before Sousuke hesitantly leaves. Haru follows not too long after, nodding curtly at Makoto and giving Rin a warning glare before he does.

 

* * *

 

Silence falls upon them again once Haru and Sousuke have left the house, and Makoto doesn't have the courage to look at Rin. Even so, he knows he has to do this now, or he'll keep postponing it until there's no point in bringing it up anymore. When their relationship has wilted and died a long time ago, with no chance of it being brought back to life.

"When did it happen?" he asks, and Rin nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden question that breaks the thick silence in the room.

"A few days before I told you. I— I came back to his place after work, and we talked about... things."

" _Things_ ", Makoto repeats sarcastically. "I'm guessing he told you about his feelings, and then proceeded to kiss you."

Having to actually say it out loud makes Makoto feel a bitter after-taste in his mouth. Is this how he wants things to be between him and Rin? He's conflicted, standing between wanting to forgive Rin for what may just  _be_ a kiss, but also doesn't want to make it look like he's that easy to trample over. Because as much as he knows he probably  _is_ too good of a person sometimes, he doesn't want to make it look like he is.

"Yeah", Rin says, almost sounding dejected. "It didn't last long, but it was still a kiss. I didn't want it to happen, because he's my best friend. That's not what best friends do."

"And yet you told me I could've just as easily have done it with Haru", Makoto shoots back, and Rin recoils at the bite in his voice.

"I didn't... mean it like that. I was just grasping at straws."

"Because you're scared of facing the truth of what really happened."

What comes out of Makoto's mouth surprises even him. But he doesn't regret his words, because it's what he thinks, and if Rin can't handle his honesty — how had he ever hoped they'd be able to fix their relationship? Relationships in all forms are built on trust, and if that's not something they have, they're left with an empty eggshell that'll probably crack faster than either of them can blink. All Makoto can do is choose whether to trust Rin's words, to believe that a kiss was all it was — or the other option, which ends up with them breaking up.

"Makoto, I'm... terrified of losing you. I was scared to death of telling you, because I didn't know what would happen. The last thing I want is to lose you, but I... I may just have, after all."

Finally,  _finally_ , Makoto softens. His heart aches at the sight of Rin looking so down, desperate. He realises that relationships involve taking risks, too — giving second chances to those you believe deserve them. And considering their past and the numerous mistakes they've both made but always taken the other back, Rin does deserve one. Maybe it'll be Makoto's loss in the end, but that's not something he'll find out unless he takes the risk and jumps out into the unknown. It's like trying to get rid of his fear of the ocean, except this won't involve a risk of him drowning.

"I can probably... forgive you. In time. But... in the meantime, I still want to be with you. Because I love you, and I think I always will, no matter what. I'll choose to believe your words, because I want to be able to trust you fully again."

Rin looks up, eyes widening. "Are you... sure?"

"Yeah."

Knowing himself, it probably doesn't matter just how many times Rin screws things up between them; Makoto's most likely going to take him back every time, just like he has up until now. And of course, Makoto hasn't been perfect, either — there have been times where he's been the one at fault causing friction in their bond. They're not perfect, but as much as one may want to deny it, they do complement each other and become better together. And if there's anyone Makoto wants to die with, it's Rin. Even if they end up hurting each other over and over, their love for each other is still so much stronger than that, and will probably overcome everything else.

The redhead lets out a shaky sigh of relief, and laughs. Tears fall from his eyes, but Makoto guesses it's just out of relief and happiness. "I'm so glad. I... was so worried I would leave here, and have to move out of our house."

"Who's to say  _you'd_ have to move out? It's just as much your house as it's mine."

Rin shakes his head. "Yeah, but I fucked up. It'd only be fair. But... I guess I'll still get to live there, huh."

Makoto can't help but smile a little as he scoots closer to Rin and pulls the other man's head towards his shoulder. He hasn't changed much in all the years they've known each other and eventually dated, but that's just a good thing.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Rin. Just... can you try and not spend all of your free time with Sousuke for a bit? It... makes me feel a bit weird knowing what happened, you know. I'm not saying you should completely cut your ties with him, even I don't have the right to demand that from you — but just for a little while. Until I've gotten a chance to melt this and such."

"Of course. I think he'd understand that, too. He's... really beaten himself up over it. I guess I shouldn't be telling you that, but... yeah. Yeah, I'll spend more time with Haru instead. And I guess I could humour Nagisa every once in a while, too."

Makoto laughs. "I think he'd like that."

It might take some time, but Makoto's prepared for that, and more and more willing to give it time. But eventually, he'll be able to probably completely forgive Rin, and they'll be able to move past this one obstacle. Sure, it's an obstacle very different from their past ones, but it's still not the  _worst_ that could happen. At least it was just a kiss; had it gone further than that, Makoto's not sure if he'd be this lenient on Rin.

Rin lets his head rest against Makoto's shoulder, and he smiles to himself. "Thank you, Makoto."

"Yeah."

"I love you."

Makoto takes Rin's hand in his, and he sighs. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A "little" thing before people decide to jump me for making Sousuke the "bad guy"/homewrecker in this prompt, just so I have it out there.**
> 
> I love Sousuke, I really do. I want him to have all the best in the entire world, because he deserves it, with all the shit he's had to take in the past, and with that god awful ambiguous (cough, forgotten, cough) ending KyoAni gave him in ES. Don't ever think that I despise a character because I put them in a slightly less positive light in my fics. One thing I'll make clear is that I would never depict him as an abusive person, which some other fanfic authors seem to absolutely _love_ to do. I don't, because it isn't who he is.
> 
> He may use intimidation as a way of protecting his friends, but he'd never lay a finger on anyone. Has he ever done it? No. Not even Haru, yet people insist on writing rape/hate sex fics with them. Even Rin has been more 'violent' towards Haru in both season 1 and 2 (grabbing Haru's arms/wrists and holding him in place to keep him from escaping a confrontation), but that's a different matter. That's not to say I hate Rin, either — of course I don't, but just to put things into perspective.
> 
> I chose Sousuke because he's a close friend of Rin's, and it seemed the most likely that such a thing would happen between close friends like them, rather than having it be someone else. Besides, it's pretty clear in canon that Sousuke doesn't just have friendly feelings towards Rin, no matter how you look at it.
> 
> Right, I'm done, that's all I wanted to say. Hope you enjoyed this continuation! I know it wasn't part of the original "stipulation" of this "send me a pairing + a prompt" thing, but since others asked me for a continuation and I wanted to write one, too, it just had to happen.


	46. SouHaru #12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke has a cat, and the cat happens to adore Haru. At first Sousuke is irritated, but by watching them interact he sees a different side of Haru and eventually falls for him.**
> 
> Asked by: [spiritofgold](http://spiritofgold.tumblr.com).

It isn’t uncommon for Sora to be out of the apartment for several hours at a time. Sousuke’s gotten quite used to it, and is no longer really worried if he hasn’t seen his cat all day, because she always ends up coming back home when it starts getting dark out, or at least when she knows she’ll be fed. She’s  a smart cat, that’s for sure — and a very greedy one, too.

But Sousuke finds her occasional company nice. Sora is an independent cat, but she’s a sucker for being scratched on her belly or behind her ears. And then there’s the whole thing about her always coming to him when she wants food, and staying extra long once she’s been fed. Sousuke wonders if this is what it’s like to have a partner; do they only come to you when they want something from you, and do they leave once they’ve gotten it or don’t need it anymore?

When he comes back from work and is about to unlock his apartment door, he sees his neighbour sitting outside his door, on his knees… in front of Sora. Sousuke’s cat. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, and probably not the last, either. Sousuke feels his eye twitch at the sight; his neighbour is a strange guy who always leaves his swim trunks hanging over the railing outside their doors, only fastened with a clothes-pin. He also seems to have a strange infatuation with dolphins, considering the decorations in his kitchen window. Not that Sousuke’s been  _looking_  or anything.

(He totally has. And not just into the kitchen, but at the man who lives there, too. A lot.)

But instead of calling out to the man like he always does, this time, Sousuke decides to just stand by and watch. Sora’s purring so loudly even Sousuke can hear it a few metres away. Her eyes are closed and she’s rubbing her head against the black-haired man’s hand, whose fingers are gently scratching her behind her right ear. Why the hell does he think he’s got the  _right_  to touch Sousuke’s cat like that?

Soon enough, Sora opens her light blue eyes again, and she gets up on her feet to run to Sousuke’s side. As she does, Sousuke’s neighbour looks at him and gets up from his spot on the ground. “Hey”, he says.

Sousuke raises an eyebrow. “Hey.”

“You have a very friendly cat.”

_Duh, I know_. “Yeah.”

“What breed?”

“She’s an American shorthair. Five years old… or six.”

The other man lets out a little laugh. “I see. Can I feed her sometime? I eat a lot of mackerel and end up having leftovers. Does she like mackerel?”

Sousuke’s first instinct is to ask the man if he thinks Sousuke doesn’t feed his cat while he’s at work. And for that man’s information, Sora has a lot of food to eat during the day, thank you very much. Almost too much, sometimes — but she’s reasonable, and doesn’t overeat even if she probably could.

“Sure”, he elects to respond with instead. “That’d be nice. A bit of change in her diet. Thanks.”

“I should be the one to say that. I’m Haru, by the way.”

“Sousuke. So, er… you don’t have any… cats of your own? I was thinking since you… seem to like them so much.”

He curses himself internally for being so goddamn clumsy, but Haru doesn’t seem to pay any mind to it, thankfully. “I’d love to. Makoto— my best friend’s crazy about them. I think your cat may have helped me decide on getting one myself. What’s her name?”

“Sora. Good thing our apartment complex allows pets, then.”

Haru smiles a little. “Yeah. Oh, didn’t want to keep you, sorry. See you around?”

Sousuke looks at his wristwatch. It’s about time to start making dinner, otherwise he’ll be standing in the kitchen while Rin’s over — and he knows the redhead wouldn’t appreciate that. “Ah, yeah… right. See you around.”

The taller man unlocks his door with his cat walking around his feet, stroking herself up against his legs, and he shuffles inside, closing the door behind the both of them. This is probably the first time he’s ever talked to his neighbour, and they’ve lived next door to each other for quite some time now. It should embarrass Sousuke, but it just baffles him instead.

 

* * *

 

“Maybe he’s plotting to kidnap — or catnap? — her. If he’s got all that mackerel and all… it’d make sense. I’d say keep your cat indoors from now on. He sounds fishy. Oh man, get it? Fishy. Mackerel.”

Sousuke waves Rin’s terrible pun off dismissively and rolls his eyes.

“I don’t think he has it in him. He’s too scrawny of a person; I’d take him down before he’s able to say tamagoyaki.”

Rin snorts a laugh. “Right. So? Is he cute? Handsome? Sexy?”

“The hell are you even talking about”, Sousuke mutters before he turns around to continue doing the dishes. In doing so, he’s also able to mask the slight blush creeping into his cheeks at the mention of Haru’s appearance. Because Haru isn’t an ordinary guy you’d meet at the grocery store, and if you did, you’d consider yourself a  _very_  lucky man. His eyes are dangerous to look into for too long, because Sousuke’s pretty sure one could easily drown in them.

This, of course, isn’t anything Sousuke would admit to Rin, or anyone else, for that matter. If he did, he’d have to kill the person who found out, because he has a strange feeling Haru would be able to find out, somehow.

“I mean, is he date-worthy? Shag-worthy? Someone you’d marry, or—”

“Rin, just give it up”, Sousuke interrupts with an exhausted sigh, putting the last plate in the dish rack on the counter. “I’m not gonna date that guy.”

“If you don’t, I’m pretty sure Sora will”, Rin says and roars with laughter. Sousuke slaps a hand over his forehead and sighs again. This is probably not the last he’ll ever hear about it, and he already dreads the next time, knowing it’ll most definitely be soon, and knowing how stubborn Rin can be when he wants to.

When he next runs into Haru, it isn’t outside their doors, but by the car park a little bit away from the apartment complex. Sousuke didn’t even know Haru  _had_  a car, but he probably does considering he has to be working during the day.

“Haru”, he says, giving a curt nod in acknowledgement. The other man returns the gesture.

“Back from work?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Been home for a bit”, Haru shrugs. “I hope you don’t mind me feeding your cat — Sora, was it? — some mackerel. Had leftovers again.”

Even though he’s given his permission, Sousuke can’t help but feel a little ticked off by the fact that Haru actually acted upon it and fed  _his_  cat. But also, why the hell is he getting jealous over a  _cat_? Maybe it’s because she’s pretty much the equivalent of a romantic partner for him, seeing as he doesn’t have one and lives alone. And if she were to run off to Haru instead, he’d be cat-less. And god forbid Yamazaki Sousuke to lose his cat to a mackerel freak, of all people.

“Yeah, no — I don’t… mind”, he says, even though he says so between slightly gritted teeth. Haru probably  _is_  plotting on kidnapping Sora, the way he’s acting. First it’s just the petting part, then it’s feeding a complete stranger’s cat — and then before you know it, this idiot’s going to steal your cat.

“You seem like you  _do_  mind, though”, Haru says, sounding amused. The two of them start walking up the stairs to their apartments, and Sousuke can’t help but find it extremely awkward. As if they’re walking up to the same apartment, and not two separate ones. “Do you think I’d poison her?”

Sousuke snorts. “As if I’d let you.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s just— why  _my_  cat? Why not someone else’s?”

“No one else in our apartment complex has a cat. Besides… she likes me. And I like her, too.”

_This really does sound like a love triangle drama_ , Sousuke realises. They’re fighting for the love and attention from a cat, for god’s sake. This is ridiculous. Sousuke sighs.

“Whatever, fine. Just don’t try and steal her away from me, because I know where you live.”

He cocks his head in the direction of Haru’s door, and the other man laughs.

“No worries, officer Yamazaki. I won’t steal your cat.”

And when he walks inside, Sousuke stands outside his door like an idiot with his mouth slightly agape. As if on cue, the black cat he shares an apartment with comes up and strokes against his legs. He clicks his tongue before going inside.

 

* * *

 

Soon enough, the same thing starts repeating itself on a near daily basis, and Haru almost becomes Sora’s caretaker during the day when Sousuke’s at work. The more Sousuke sees Haru interact with his cat, the more he feels like maybe there’s something more hidden beneath that weird, stoic exterior of Haru’s. And he realises he wouldn’t mind finding that out.

_Oh hell no_. Sousuke cringes and tries focus his attention back to the TV in front of him, but it’s useless.

“I can’t believe this”, he murmurs to himself, and Sora looks up at him as if she’s wondering why the hell he  _is_  talking to himself. Just as he’s said that, the doorbell rings, and he flinches, making Sora jump off the couch and glare at him.

He turns off the TV and gets off the couch to go open. Maybe it’s Rin again, coming to steal the dinner Sousuke hasn’t even bought. He’s not in the mood to cook, and plans to just order something in. It’ll probably end up being a pizza again, but he doesn’t mind as long as he doesn’t go to bed hungry.

When he opens the door, he’s met with none other than his daily cat-guard, Haru. He raises his eyebrows in surprise, and nearly snorts at the irony of this man appearing outside his apartment when he’s just crossed Sousuke’s mind.

“Haru”, he says, and the other man nods in acknowledgement before he looks down at Sora by Sousuke’s feet.

“Was wondering if you’d want dinner. As thanks for letting me feed your cat.”

Sousuke actually does snort this time. “I should be thanking you for feeding her, but okay — I haven’t actually had dinner yet, and you’d save me some money. So thanks. What’re you having?”

“Mackerel with miso and rice.”

He grimaces for half a second, but then decides to just go along with it. At least it’ll save him both time and money. “No surprise there. I’ll… take you up on that offer. Thanks.”

Sousuke actually ends up really enjoying his food, and his previous impression of what mackerel should taste like is completely shattered. He’d be ashamed to admit it, though, so he doesn’t. Instead, what Sousuke gets with his dinner is a rather enjoyable conversation — well, sort of; Haru isn’t  _too_  talkative — and he slowly gets to know his neighbour a little more beyond his obsession with mackerel and water, apparently.

When he’s about to leave Haru’s apartment, he almost hesitates. Doesn’t want to leave just yet. But he knows he has to, because he’s already overstayed his welcome by quite a bit, and he has to get up early in the morning to go to work. Sadly, reality comes first.

“So listen”, Sousuke says and turns around in the doorway, “I wouldn’t mind... doing this again. But next time, I’d cook. To repay the favour.”

Haru nods, and a small smile graces his lips. “Okay.”

“Right. Good. So... er, I’m... just gonna... go”, Sousuke stutters awkwardly.

“Yeah. Good night, Sousuke.”

“... Good night, Haru.”

When he’s safe and sound in his own apartment, Sousuke bites down on his knuckles and suppresses a scream. He’s got it bad for his neighbour.  _Really_  bad.


	47. SouHaru #13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke gets jealous/slightly possessive when someone hits on Haru, the flirting person having no idea Haru's taken because of the discreet nature of Haru's and Sousuke's relationship.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Haru’s absent-mindedly wiping off the counter when the door to the pastry shop opens, the bell above the door ringing to let him know he’s got a customer. He’s got less than an hour left until he can close up for the day, but he’s already itching to get out.

“Haru-chan, can you take that? My hands are full, and wet, too”, Makoto calls out from the kitchenette.

“Drop the -chan already”, Haru shoots back as he puts down his rag and washes his hands off before going to greet said customer. He frowns a little upon seeing who it is, but quickly wills it off before opening his mouth.

“Welcome, what can I get you?”

The pink-haired man in front of him shoots him a wide smile. “Your number.”

Haru snorts. “I’d rather not. If you’re not here to actually buy anything, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

“Why? There aren’t many others around. Come on, it’s fine, Haruka.”

His eye twitches at the way the man calls him Haruka. There’s only one person who’s allowed to actually say that, and he’s absolutely not willing to make any exceptions. Especially not for creeps like this guy.

“It’s  _Haru_ ”, he corrects, “and no, it’s not fine.You’re taking up a vacant spot without ordering anything. Buy something or get out of my shop.”

The door opens once again, and when Haru sees his next customer, his shoulders relax a little. “Sousuke. You want coffee?”

“Hey, Haruka. Yeah, that’d be nice. Haven’t had a cup all day, and my head hurts.”

Sousuke goes to sit down on one of the bar stools, leaving one empty between him and the pink-haired man, who doesn’t seem to pay the police officer right next to him any mind. He leans onto the counter on his elbows and shoots Haru another wide smile.

“Can you make me coffee, too? Hey, why’d Mr. Police Officer get to call you Haruka, but I can’t?”

“Because he actually knows me, and you don’t. And if you want coffee, you’ll have to pay for it like a regular customer. Either that, or get out of my shop.”

Haru thinks he hears a muffled laugh from the kitchen, but he doesn’t say anything. The man bats his eyelashes at Haru with a look that’s probably supposed to resemble puppy eyes, but he just looks scary instead.

“Can’t you make it on the house? Just for me?”

Sousuke snorts. “Hey, if you’re a freeloader, you’re getting out of here right now or I’ll kick you out myself.“

“Aww, you’re no fun”, the unwanted guest says before he gets up with a disappointed look on his face, and Haru has to hold back a triumphant snort. Without a word, the stranger leaves, and Haru sighs in relief.

“Ah, Sousuke-kun! How are you?”

Makoto comes out of the kitchenette, wiping his hands on a towel that he puts back in the pocket of his apron. Sousuke gives him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Good, good. You?”

“Oh, the usual. Anything interesting happen today?”

Haru lets out a little laugh before he goes to flip the sign on the door. Makoto’s always been super interested in the things Sousuke gets to do at work, even though he knows Sousuke can’t actually reveal much of it due to one of many policies that comes with working in law enforcement.

Sousuke shrugs. “Nah, just a regular day. Ready to get out soon, Haruka?”

“Five minutes. You want a chocolate muffin? There’s one left, and I have to throw it out otherwise.”

“No dinner tonight, huh?” Sousuke jokes, and Haru shoots him a look.

“Not with that attitude. You want it or not?"

The police officer happily accepts it as Haru goes around the pastry shop one last time to make sure he hasn’t missed cleaning or taking something off a table. When he considers the place okay to leave over the night, he waits for Makoto to turn off everything besides the fridge and freezer in the kitchen, and the three of them leave the little building.

Sousuke and Haruka say goodbye to Makoto at the usual crossroad where they go their separate ways, and then head home for the evening. When they arrive inside their apartment, Sousuke almost immediately heads for the couch where he lies down with an exhausted sigh. Haru follows not too long after and lies down with his head resting on Sousuke’s chest, his boyfriend’s arm draped lazily over him.

“Meant to ask earlier, but did you know the guy with the ridiculous hair at the shop before?” Sousuke murmurs, and Haru shrugs.

“I don’t really know him”, he replies. “He just comes in every now and then to bug me. Nothing big.”

“Tell me if he starts to outright harass you and I’ll come kick his ass.”

Haru snorts. “Don’t cause trouble in my my shop, Sousuke.”

“I wouldn’t”, Sousuke replies and kisses him on the top of his head.

But secretly, he thinks he probably would, if he saw that guy again. He just had that kind of air to him that made him both look and seem punchable. Sousuke decides to let the thought go for now, and shortly after, the two go to prepare dinner.

 

* * *

 

Haru wakes up at five as usual, just before Sousuke, and he gets up to make them breakfast before heading to work. He always bakes in the morning, making sure there’s fresh bread and pastries to go around during the day. Of course, he doesn’t bake  _all_ of the goods sold in the pastry shop, but some of them. And people have certainly noticed which kinds he’s actually made himself, because they’re the most popular bought things in the little shop.

He also never allows Makoto to bake; only make simple foods such as salads and sandwiches, which in the beginning hadn’t made his best friend happy — but it’s for the best. Not only for them, but for their customers, too, as Makoto has a tendency to burn pretty much everything he makes into a crisp.

It’s very nice and quiet in the early morning when Haru arrives at the pastry shop, and he enjoys the temporary solitude he gets just before the day truly begins, and his little shop bustles with life. The only thing he can hear through the slightly opened window in the kitchenette, is the birds singing outside. It’s peaceful, and definitely helps him stay concentrated whilst he’s working on getting the morning bread out.

The day passes much like any other, with Haruka and Makoto switching duties every now and then. One thing Haru has to admit is that Makoto’s gotten very good at brewing coffee, so that’s at least a task he can entrust to his best friend, knowing his customers will get what they’re paying for.

When Haru’s in the kitchen cleaning off the coffee machine filter, he hears a singing voice call his name, and he shudders. It’s  _him_  again. Whenever he comes in, it always seems to be right around the same time. As if he’s headed straight here from work... or whatever it is he does during the day.

“Haru, someone’s here to see you”, Makoto calls, and Haru sighs, frowning and pinching the bridge of his nose with a thumb and index finger. Reluctantly, he walks out of the little kitchenette and unsurprisingly sees the pink-haired man sitting on the same barstool as last time. Just as he does come out to see this unwelcome guest, his very welcome boyfriend walks in, too.

Just like last time. If this isn’t the definition of deja vu, Haruka doesn’t know what is.

“Haruka”, the stranger calls, once again in that far too sweet, singing voice, just as Sousuke comes to sit down, nodding in acknowledgement at the two employees. “I came to see you.”

“I noticed”, Haru replies, eyeing the man with slight disgust. Makoto puts a hand on his shoulder before walking up to the man, still behind the counter.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No”, Mr. Pink replies dreamily, “but I think Haruka can.”

“What do you want?” Haru asks, quickly running out of patience. He looks over at Sousuke for support, but his boyfriend just looks on with slight amusement on his face. Is he really  _that_  big of an idiot? Haru tries to desperately send him some telepathic signals to try and get Sousuke to chase away the man next to him, but obviously, he fails.

“Your number, and a date”, is the reply he gets, and  _that’s_  when Sousuke finally reacts.

“Oi, back up. What the fuck are you doing, hitting on Haruka just like that?”

Mr. Pink smiles sweetly. “Is that against the law, officer? I don’t see anything wrong with a little innocent flirting.”

Sousuke suddenly stands up, looming over the other man with a frightening expression on his face. Haru looks around the shop, and there are still a few people around them who look at them weirdly. Why is this happening? Why couldn’t Mr. Pink just take a hint and give up when he had the chance earlier?

“Oh, I see plenty wrong with it”, Sousuke says in a calm voice that tells Haru he’s anything _but_  calm. “You know why? He’s taken. He isn’t available.”

“Really? I don’t see a ring on his finger.”

 _Please just give up_ , Haru begs internally. Makoto stands next to him and gives him a questioning look, to which all he can do is shrug. Because he honestly doesn’t know what’s going on, or why.

“He’s  _my_  boyfriend”, Sousuke shoots back, his voice raised a little. “So I suggest you quit whatever the fuck you think you’re doing, because I’m not gonna allow it to happen.”

Mr. Pink’s eyes widen, and he sheepishly turns his gaze downward. “Oh. Well, this is awkward. I’m just... gonna leave, then. Man, talk about bad luck.”

When he leaves, Haru lets out a sigh of relief, and Makoto seems to relax a little beside him, too. Just as he’s about to turn around to go clean up before closing down the shop for the day, Sousuke calls out to him.

“Haruka. Can we talk?”

He raises an eyebrow quizzically, but follows Sousuke out of the pastry shop nevertheless, leaving things to Makoto for a while.

The two of them walk behind the pastry shop, ending up in a small alleyway people rarely pass through because of how narrow and creepy it can get when it’s dark out. When they stop, Sousuke turns around and nearly crashes into Haru, who takes a step back at the impact of his boyfriend suddenly embracing him.

“Why didn’t you say he’s been flirting with you?” Sousuke mumbles into his hair.

Haru sighs and puts his arms around Sousuke’s waist. “Because I knew nothing would happen. I have you.”

“Damn right you do. So... you wouldn’t have gone out with him?”

“No”, Haru says with a snort. “He’s not my type.”

“Does that mean I’m your type?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Sousuke.”

Sousuke laughs. “Kidding, just wanted to make sure. I called dibs on you first, after all.”

“You’re such a child.”

The taller man pulls back and places a finger under Haru’s chin. He smiles. “Love you.”

“I know.”

He deliberately lets a few seconds pass, and as expected, Sousuke starts to look almost offended, at which Haru can’t help but laugh. He stands on his toes and reaches up to kiss his boyfriend.

“I love you, too, you paranoid, dumb fool.”

“Hey, I have every right to be paranoid when  _you’re_  my boyfriend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That literally  _anyone_  could just walk up to you and hit on you. Ask you out. What am I gonna do if I’m not around when that happens?”

“Trust me, maybe”, Haru says, suddenly pouting. “I already told you, I have you, and I don’t need or want anyone else. Stop worrying so much.”

Sousuke sighs and lightly bumps their foreheads together. “Fine, I’ll try. You can’t blame me, though, I bet you’d get jealous, too.”

“As if”, Haru scoffs, but he knows he probably  _would_  get jealous. “So, are we done? Am I allowed to go back and clean up before closing now?”

“Yeah. I’ll come with you and sit inside. Wait like an obedient dog for my master to come home.”

“That suits you. You’re my dog.”

Sousuke clicks his tongue, but smiles. “Cheeky bastard.”


	48. MakoRei #14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRei wedding, continuation of**[chapter 39](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/9762429).
> 
> Asked by: [siberian74](http://siberian74.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song mentioned in this ficlet: "[Great Expectations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6myU8hkztOo)" by Elbow.

Makoto looks at himself in the mirror and takes a deep breath. There probably isn’t anything wrong with the way he looks, but he still can’t help but wonder if there’s anything he’s missing, or has forgotten. Maybe a price tag? Maybe there’s a spot somewhere that needs to be cleaned off? Turning around in front of the mirror and looking at his clothes doesn’t tell him anything, so he sighs.

“Haru, can you help me—”

“You’re fine, Makoto”, Haru interrupts. “There’s nothing wrong, I promise. You look good. Just go out there and marry him already.”

He laughs nervously. “I’m going to. I’ve wanted to for so long, after all.”

But he can’t help but be nervous about it. After all, he’d been the one to pop the question — what if Rei doesn’t actually want to go through with this and just does it because he’s been pressured to? Wait, no, that wouldn’t make any sense, since he’d been so adamant about Makoto meeting his family and them announcing their upcoming wedding to them.

He’s probably just being paranoid now that he’s only got a few minutes until he needs to go out there, and get married to the love of his life. Makoto tries to shake his negative thoughts off as Haru gets up on his feet. The two of them are dressed in matching dark-navy tuxes. The colour honestly fits Haru better, but it doesn’t look  _too_  bad on Makoto. His dark-green bow tie at least matches the colour of his eyes, so there’s that.

“You ready?”

“Mm-hmm”, Makoto says, and Haru lets out a little laugh.

“It’ll be fine, Makoto. He loves you, everyone can see that.”

Well, that’s one thing Makoto isn’t uncertain of. Of course he knows Rei loves him, but that doesn’t automatically mean he wants to get married. Well, it probably should, considering they’re actually about to  _get_  married, and he hasn’t said anything yet. But what if—

“What if he says ‘no’ by the altar?”

Haru shoots him a look that almost makes him look pissed off. “Why are you even  _with_  him if you can’t trust him? Rei isn’t one to run away, you know that. Can you quit being so paranoid and just go out there and marry him already? If we’re late, we actually might increase the risk of him not wanting to marry you.”

Makoto winces and lets out a groan. “Sorry, I can’t help it. Okay, let’s go. Let’s... let’s get me married to him.”

“Finally”, Haru says with a roll of his eyes, and almost pushes his best friend out the door.

 

* * *

 

When Makoto sees Rei, all of his worries are blown away with the wind. When he sees his soon-to-be husband, it almost feels like the cliché thing you see in films where everything just slows down around the two of you, and you’re the only two existing in the room at the moment. It sure helps when the two of them are walking up the aisle together to stand in front of the priest.

Even if his worries aren’t there anymore, the nervousness sure is. So when he’s instructed to take Rei’s hands in his, Makoto’s hands are trembling, almost violently so. He sees Nagisa in the corner of his eye, how his blond friend’s tears have already started to fall, but Haru next to him looks as stoic as ever. He doesn’t see him, but Makoto’s pretty sure Rin has to be crying in the audience, too.

And to the tune of “ _Great Expectations_ ”, Makoto and Rei vow to take the other to be their husband, and to love each other until death do them apart.

 

 _Slide down beside and wrap you in stories_  
_Tailored entirely for you_  
_I'll remind you_

 _We exchanged a vow_  
_I love you, I always will_

 

"You may now kiss”, the priest then says, but Makoto’s pretty sure he would’ve done so without being told, anyway. There’s a little lump in his throat as he cups Rei’s face in his hands, and he sees his husband actually getting teary-eyed. This doesn’t really make things better for Makoto, who immediately feels himself doing the same.

When they kiss, they receive a loud applause from their friends and family, and this time, Nagisa lets it all out and cries loudly, making Makoto laugh against Rei’s lips. When he pulls away, he feels light, like he’s almost levitating off the ground. He’s married.  _They’re_  married — to each other.

Still not letting go of Rei’s cheeks, Makoto can’t help but smile widely. “We’re married”, he says, and Rei nods, mirroring his smile.

“We are.”

“I love you, you know that, right?”

“Of course I do. And I love you, too.”

 

* * *

 

In the bed in their hotel room that night, Makoto lies on his back with Rei’s head resting on his chest. His cheeks hurt from having smiled so much throughout the day, but it’s a pain he doesn’t mind. It’s the result of something that’ll keep making him inexplicably happy for probably the rest of his life. And when he looks down at Rei’s hand resting on his stomach, he sees the ring that proves their love for each other, and it makes his heart skip a beat.

Rei has fallen asleep a while ago, but Makoto’s finding it difficult to wind down after all the things that happened during his wedding day, not to mention the sex that concluded it. It’s been the happiest day of his life, and he’s not quite willing to let go of it just yet. Even so, every day from now on is going to be a day spent being married to Ryuugazaki Rei, so really — Makoto has no room to complain.

Makoto sighs and kisses his husband on the head before closing his eyes and attempting to sleep again. Their lives together have only just begun, and he’s looking forward to spend the rest of his life with Rei by his side, if it means he’ll get to fall asleep with Rei in his arms like this every night.


	49. SouHaru #14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Imagine Sousuke and Haru fighting over something stupid, and just when they are about to get physical, Sousuke hits the floor yelling pretending like he’s in pain. Haru, thinking he’s the one who hurt Sousuke, gets really scared and tries to help Sousuke get up, apologizing softly. Sousuke meanwhile just can’t help thinking how endearing Haru looks/acts and tries his best not to burst out laughing.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com).

Sousuke looks with mild disgust at the growing collection of penguins in varying sizes placed up in their bookcase, taking up two shelves. It’s strange, because he never really notices Haru putting them up there, but then there are some days when he just notices said collection having grown quite a bit.

“Can you quit making those things and filling the entire house with them?” he asks Haruka, who’s sitting by their kotatsu. The other man gives him a pointed look.

“Why?”

“They’re ugly and they take up space, that’s why. Why do you even  _have_  them?”

“Because I like them”, Haru says matter-of-factly and shrugs, which makes Sousuke’s eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

“We don’t have unlimited space around here, Haruka. Stuff them in a box and put them in the attic or something, but don’t litter all over the house.”

Sousuke recalls having heard a story about Nagisa’s strange obsession with these things during their high school days, and how Haruka had whittled a whole bunch of them in an effort to recruit people to their club using said penguins. They’re honestly really ugly to look at, and creepy, too — Sousuke just really wants them out of the house.

But technically, this isn’t  _his_  house; it’s Haruka’s house, and he should have more of a say in what goes on around here, but since they’re splitting the rent, Sousuke feels like he’s got the right to say something, too.

“ _Litter_?” Haru repeats, this time sounding offended. “This isn’t littering, Sousuke. It’s just a collection. It’s like a collection of books, really. And we don’t have any books up there to begin with, so what’s the harm?”

“Because they’re ugly! There, I said it! Now can you  _please_  just take them down so we can put something more visually appealing in their place?”

"No”, Haruka retorts. “They’re staying. If you want to put something up, do it somewhere else. This is my bookshelf.”

“I live here, too, now — you  _do_  realise that, right?”

Maybe this is just Haruka’s way of showing his affection for Nagisa. Sousuke honestly doesn’t know, but if it is, it sure is a strange way of going about it. He’s always had the impression that Haru was obsessed with dolphins, seeing as he always has a little plastic one with him in the bath. But penguins? And this... monstrosity called the Iwatobi High’s mascot, at that?

“I can kick you out if you don’t let me do as I please”, Haruka says with furrowed eyebrows, and Sousuke sighs exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose, and frowning.

His boyfriend gets up from the floor and stands in front of him, as if to emphasise his threat. He’s almost standing  _too_  close, but Sousuke doesn’t back away.

“Seriously? You’d kick me out over a collection of fucking  _penguins_? Do I mean that little to you?”

“No, but apparently my interests don’t mean as much to you as you mean to me.”

Sousuke raises his eyebrows, feeling offended. “You did  _not_  just say that. Do you honestly think you mean less to me than the space up on a goddamn bookshelf?”

“I said my interests.”

“It’s the same thing!” Sousuke yells. “It’s an all-in-one package deal, Haruka. Everything about you means the world to me, but you’re too fucking dense to see it!”

“If everything about me does mean the world to you, then just let me keep my penguins”, Haru counters stubbornly, but Sousuke isn’t having it. With little to no difficulty, he reaches up to start taking them down, and that’s when Haru literally jumps him, his legs locked around Sousuke’s waist and one arm reaching up to try and take the penguins the taller man holds in one hand.

Deciding to take this opportunity, Sousuke deliberately lets his legs give out, and he gets down onto the floor with a  _thud_. He grimaces at the impact to his kneecaps, and groans exaggeratedly, dropping the penguins to his side. Haru quickly gets off of him, and he lies down whilst gripping at his knees.

“Oh, no”, Haru whispers. “Sousuke, I’m sorry, I didn’t— I didn’t mean to... take it this far. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Sousuke slowly opens one of his eyes, but keeps the other squeezed shut. Haru’s sitting next to him with a frantic expression on his face, his hands placed over Sousuke’s on his knees. He bites the inside of his cheek to try and stop the laughter from bubbling up, and doesn’t say anything.

 _Why does he think he’s got the right to look so fucking cute right now_? Sousuke thinks to himself whilst breathing through his nose to calm himself down. And why the hell are they even fighting about this? Honestly, Sousuke doesn’t even care about the stupid penguins anymore; he’s more than willing to surrender and let Haru keep his precious figurines up there if that’s what he wants.

"Sousuke... Are you mad at me?” comes Haru’s tiny voice, and Sousuke can no longer keep his laughter in. He snorts and laughs out loud, making Haru flinch next to him, and he rolls over to lie on his back instead.

“Oh my god”, he wheezes, “no, I’m not mad at you, holy shit. This is unfair, I literally can’t get mad at you.”

Haru groans and hides his face in his hands, while Sousuke roars with laughter again. “Screw you”, he finally says after a few seconds, his voice muffled by his hands.

“Please do”, Sousuke replies, and this time, Haru kicks him in the side.


	50. SouHaru #15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Single dads who start arguing at the school science fair (insert reason here) and fucKING FIGHT ME NANASE I SWEAR I'LL TAKE THIS TO THE SCHOOL BOARD while their BFF children stand by awkwardly with their respective projects, cringing until one of them yells at their dad to stop it bc oh my god everyone's staring pls just stop and Sou &haru end up outside the principal's office and they actually talk and oh shit he's hot**
> 
> Asked by: [ryugazaki-rin](http://ryugazaki-rin.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 50th prompt in just about a month. Huh.

“Dad, don’t drop it”, Takumi warns Sousuke as he very carefully lifts the nuclear plant diorama out of the boot of their car. He clicks his tongue.

“You really don’t have much faith in me, do you?” he asks. “Of  _course_  I’m not gonna drop it. I promise, okay? Stop worrying so much. You nervous?”

Takumi snorts and looks away with a frown and a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. “Am not. Let’s just go already, I don’t wanna be late.”

Sousuke laughs as they walk towards the school building. Several other families are still walking inside; the science fair doesn’t actually officially open in ten minutes or so, which means they have plenty of time to walk inside the canteen where the fair is held, and place Takumi’s diorama onto one of the exhibition tables.

He’s ridiculously proud over what his son has created; it’s a power plant with LED lights, and the smoke coming out of the chimney is dry ice. He doesn’t exactly know  _how_  it’s been made, but it still looks really cool when it’s all powered up. He’d like to think that Takumi’s intelligence is something he’s inherited from his father, but everyone who knows them would probably disagree. Sousuke, too.

When they’re inside and Sousuke’s put down the diorama onto one of the tables, Takumi goes to join his classmates, and he himself sits down on one of the chairs provided for those who are just there to watch. Honestly, Sousuke couldn’t give two craps about the other children’s submissions to this science fair, but he has to be a ‘good parental figure’ and stay to watch them all being presented before the actual prize ceremony.

Several other children eventually arrive and put up their own stuff on the tables as well. The canteen looks so odd like this, it almost reminds Sousuke of how they used to redecorate either the gym or canteen back when he still attended school, just for the school prom or other big events. Thinking about it makes him realise that it’s been more than just a few years since he was in the same position, and it makes him feel old. Really old.

In the corner of his eye, Sousuke sees a man of average height with pitch black hair walk in with his son, and they look pretty much identical. And he doesn’t even have to take a proper look to know who they are. The  _Nanases_. Sure, Sousuke doesn’t mind the son, he’s maybe a little bit more timid and quiet than the average kid, but it’s the father Sousuke can’t stand. He’s always so boring during PTA meetings, never agreeing on anything but never really suggesting anything himself, either. And then there’s just this aura he emanates that tells Sousuke he’s one you  _should_  hate, no questions asked.

His son seems to have made what looks like a bottle rocket of sorts, but it looks slightly different from the ones Sousuke’s seen. Well, this  _is_  a science fair, after all — so there’s got to be something different about it. When the kid’s father has placed said bottle rocket onto the table, said kid goes over to greet Takumi, and Sousuke really dislikes the fact that Takumi’s friends with  _that_  guy’s son. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the kid, at least from what Sousuke’s seen.

And it’s like Sousuke’s goddamn bad luck decides to play him and Takumi a prank, like the gods above have decided to take a piss right down on them in this very moment and having the courtesy — or audacity — to call it rain. For some reason, Nanase’s son’s wobbly bottle rocket falls down, and the rocket detaches from the base before  _somehow_  launching straight towards Takumi’s nuclear power plant.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Takumi’s several days and nights of hard work is demolished within seconds, and the entire canteen goes dead silent post-impact. If you really concentrate, you can probably hear a strand of hair fall to the ground, but that’s just before Sousuke bristles.

“What the  _fuck_ , Nanase! I saw you place that thing right next to Takumi’s diorama. Did you do it on purpose?!”

The black-haired man stares at him in disbelief, as their sons rush over to watch the damage. Several people around them just stand there and look  _shocked_ , but that’s all they do, and it pisses Sousuke off. “Why would I do such a thing on purpose?”

“To sabotage my son’s chances of winning this fucking thing, maybe”, Sousuke says, having already raised his voice. He’s absolutely livid, unable to believe that someone would actually do such a thing. Takumi’s just a  _kid_ , for god’s sake. And why does Nanase have to get involved in it?

Okay, so maybe Sousuke isn’t one to talk. But he’s also not just going to stand there and accept the fact that Nanase out of all people destroyed his son’s chances of winning a prize at the school’s science fair.

“I wouldn’t do that”, Nanase counters. “That’s childish. It was a simple mistake, and I apologise.”

“ _Apologise_? Do you have any idea what went into making this thing?”

He’s practically shouting right now, and every person around him is probably staring at him like he’s gone completely insane, but he honestly doesn’t care — because this has suddenly become the most important thing for him right now. And why wouldn’t it? This has to do with something his son has worked so incredibly hard on, after all. And all he’s met with is indifference. By fucking  _Nanase_. If this isn’t the worst kind of combination, he doesn’t know what is.

“You sound like it wasn’t the same for everyone else. And like I said, it was a simple accident.”

“I can withdraw from the contest if that makes it better”, comes the tiny voice of Nanase’s son, Yuuichirou. Sousuke barely has time to turn around to stare at the kid incredulously before someone runs full-force into him and punches him square in the gut.

“Dad, cut it out! Yuu, don’t withdraw, it’s fine.”

“How can you say it’s fine after all the work you put into it?!” Sousuke barks at his son, who doesn’t even flinch. Maybe it should worry Sousuke that Takumi doesn’t even react to his outbursts anymore. Normally, it probably would, but right now, all he sees is red.

“Because it’s just a science fair. Honestly, it was just fun to put it together. I don’t care about the prize”, Takumi says and  _shrugs_ , and it just makes Sousuke even more annoyed. He just about manages to take two steps closer to Nanase before a voice cuts through the thick silence of the room.

“And what’s going on here?”

This voice is one completely unknown to Sousuke, and he turns around to face a man who’s not much shorter than himself, but the authority in his looks makes him look a lot bigger than he is. And Sousuke has a very,  _very_  bad feeling about this man.

“You two come with me to my office”, he says, and Sousuke immediately realises it’s the goddamn principal. Of course it is. And now they’re being sent to the principal’s office like two children who’ve been in a fight. Well, it probably isn’t too far off of a comparison, really.

 

* * *

 

Leaving their sons and everyone else in the canteen behind, Sousuke and Nanase head for the principal’s office, both frowning and looking down at the ground as they walk. Yep, this is just like middle school all over again. It kind of reminds him of that one time Rin had picked a fight with him at the swimming club, and the adults around them had to stop them from breaking out into a fight. Because they probably would have, had there not been anyone else around.

The question is, would Sousuke be able to fight someone like Nanase? And not in the sense of ‘would he win such a fight?’ Because of  _course_  he would, Nanase’s a shrimp compared to him. Shorter, skinnier and with less muscles—

But  _goddamn_ , is he attractive. It’s an undeniable fact that slaps Sousuke hard in the face as he steals a glance at the man sitting next to him. His eyelashes seem a little long for a man, but it strangely enough suits him, along with those intensely blue eyes of his. Hang on a second — why is Sousuke looking at a guy with something that almost resembles  _thirst_  when just a few minutes ago, it was bloodthirst?

“I didn’t do that on purpose”, Nanase mutters. “Think whatever you want, but I... actually really liked Takumi-kun’s project. And I’m sorry I ruined it.”

Sousuke turns to look at Nanase, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape. Is he  _apologising_? Forget the piss-rain, this is a blessing from the gods above, more than anything.

“’S fine”, he mumbles back. “At least for my son. And by association... me, I guess. So it’s whatever. Make sure your son wins the goddamn thing now, or I’ll be pissed again.”

Nanase actually  _laughs_ , even though it’s very short-lived and low, but Sousuke’s disturbed by how much he loves hearing it. “Sure, we’ll do our best. So we’re good?”

“Guess so. Sorry for lashing out, I was just... I guess—”

“—defending Takumi-kun, yes, I figured that out. And it’s okay, I’m a father myself, so I know. I don’t think I would’ve done it the way  _you_  did, but still.”

Sousuke feels his ears and entire face heat up, just as the principal opens the door to his office, and his mouth is formed in a bitter, straight line. The two fathers exchange glances.

“Dead men walking”, Sousuke says, and Nanase snorts out a laugh. The principal isn’t too happy with his comment, but Sousuke honestly doesn’t care at this point.

After having been properly scolded and given a warning each, Sousuke and Nanase are free to leave the office and return to the canteen. Neither of them are really feeling up to it, so Sousuke texts his son to bring Yuuichirou with him after the prize ceremony so that they can all leave together.

“So... er, listen, Nanase. Sorry about earlier”, Sousuke says. They’re standing in the car park just outside school grounds, about to go their separate ways to their cars. In the end, Yuuichirou  _didn’t_  end up winning, but at least Takumi got a consolation prize in the form of an open ticket to the cinema. And at least that’s something, Sousuke figures.

“It’s fine”, Nanase says, shrugging it off.

 _Idiot, read my mind_ , Sousuke thinks. It’s a little embarrassing to do this in front of their kids, but he might not have much of a choice. Because who the hell knows when he’ll see Nanase again, unless it’s at a stupid gathering brought together by the school?

“I wanted to ask... if you wanted to go out. For a coffee... sometime”, he says, stumbling over his words as he rambles.

Nanase raises an amused eyebrow, and Sousuke’s absolutely mortified by just how clumsy he is when he’s trying to pick up guys. Maybe this is a bad idea, after all — he’s the father of Takumi’s best friend. And if things went further than just coffee, it could get a little... awkward, to say the least.

That is, if things actually  _would_  go further. Sousuke doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself when Nanase hasn’t even said yes to his question.

“I don’t really drink coffee”, he says, “but tea would be nice. Give me your phone.”

He’s about to blurt out a ‘why?’ but quickly answers his own, unasked question in his head as Nanase takes his phone and quickly types down a number. Sousuke’s heart skips a beat.

“My number. Call me.”

The way he says it almost sounds like a challenge, and it’s a challenge Sousuke’s more than willing to take. He nods. “Sure.”

“Dad, come  _on —_ can we just go already?” Takumi shouts from the car, and Sousuke flinches.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there!” he calls back. “Right. So. I’ll... call you?”

“Please do.”

Sousuke walks away on stiff legs towards his car, and he’s too afraid to turn back. Not that he needs to, because what’s to come might be just as interesting.


	51. SouHaru #16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke visiting a comatose Haru in the hospital, they were both in a car accident but Sousuke ended up fine while Haruka ended up in a coma from head trauma. Sousuke basically blames himself and falls asleep on Haru's hospital bed, and wakes up to Haruka gently combing through his hair as Sousuke cries happily.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song reference: [Running Up That Hill - Placebo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIJ8DogiIiw) [original: Kate Bush].

When it’s silent around him, he can still hear the ringing in his head from the impact when they crashed. When it’s dark, all he sees is the sight of Haru lying on top of the dashboard in his car, unconscious and profusely bleeding from his head. When he’s alone, all Sousuke does is blame himself.

It doesn’t matter what Rin says, what Tachibana says, Sousuke doesn’t really give a flying fuck about what  _anyone_  says — he knows he was the one at fault for having driven the car and not paid enough attention. Sousuke should be the one in that hospital bed right now for what he did.

So why did he get to walk away without as much as a scratch?

It’s like a cruel punishment from one or several of those gods above he’s supposed to believe in. A punishment that ended up affecting someone innocent, someone who hadn’t done a single thing to deserve being comatose in a hospital bed. It should’ve all gone to Sousuke instead, because he was the one who caused this. He’s the one who might’ve just gotten his own boyfriend killed in a car crash.

He walks through the silent corridors of the hospital, feeling like he’s walking on death row. He almost would’ve preferred it if that was the case, because that would eventually mean he’d get the punishment he deserves. A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, was it? A life for a life sounds like a pretty good deal, too.

 _And if I only could make a deal with God_  
_And get Him to swap our places_  
_If I only could…_

Visiting hours are almost over, but he’s been allowed to stay for as long as he wants. Maybe it’s because the nurses found him intimidating, Sousuke doesn’t know. All he  _does_  know is that he’s grateful they won’t try to throw him out, because he’s not going to go willingly. If it were possible, he’d chain himself to Haruka’s side, and never leave him. He takes a deep breath before opening the door assigned to Haruka, and then slowly pushes it open.

The fluorescent lights are nearly blinding him as he walks in, and he has to squint for a few seconds to adjust to the absurd light conditions. Why do they insist on keeping it lit in here when the only person in this room isn’t able to benefit from the stupid lamps, anyway?

He pulls a chair out from beside the door and places it just by Haru’s side. With a shaky sigh, Sousuke sits down and folds his hands in his lap. The doctors had told him it’s a good idea to talk to the comatose patient, because they  _do_  hear you and it might help them come back.

 _Might_. The doctors calling him a ‘comatose patient’ just makes Haruka seem like just a name on their list of patients, one among many other insignificant people. But to Sousuke, Haruka is his entire world. His entire world which might just be taken away from him, because of his recklessness behind the wheel. He’s never been like this. Sousuke’s a good driver, anyone would attest to that.

Well, maybe not after this.

He leans forward, his elbows on his thighs and his head in his hands. How is he supposed to talk to Haruka like this, when he won’t even get any kind of response? Sure, there have been plenty of times where Sousuke’s said something to his boyfriend and just gotten a slight change in facial expressions as a response. But like this? Haruka’s in a fucking  _coma —_ he can’t raise his eyebrows, he can’t snort, he can’t give Sousuke that weird look that tells him he’s not as funny to others as he is to himself.

Despite this, he has to try. Hell, what else is he supposed to do, just sit there and be useless? Wouldn’t be the first time, but that’s exactly why he has to do something. Something that proves he’s at least  _trying_  and not giving up. Because giving up on Haruka would be the biggest mistake of his entire life.

“Haruka, I— I’m so sorry”, he begins, voice thick and a lump in his throat. How the hell is  _this_  supposed to bring Haruka back? “I’m a fucking idiot, and I never deserved you. I still don’t understand why you decided to stay by my side. Fuck... if you come back, I’m scared you might not want to anymore.”

Because why would he? He didn’t have physical evidence of him being violent or an abuser before this, because he’s never, ever laid a hand on Haruka in a hurtful way — but now he has. He’s put Haruka in a hospital bed, in a comatose state. If this doesn’t prove that he’s a monster, what does?

He leaves the hospital when his thoughts get too loud in his head, when the sight of Haruka in that state gets too much, when he feels like his conscience is literally going to eat him alive. Sousuke walks all the way back home in the darkness with his hands shoved down the pockets of his hoodie, still unable to keep his dark thoughts out.

 

* * *

 

When Sousuke hasn’t been to work in a week despite being physically fine, Rin almost storms inside his and Haruka’s apartment. His expression is frantic, and Sousuke really regrets having given him a key to their apartment. Why had he? Just because they’re partners at work doesn’t mean Rin has the right to come and go as he pleases.

“Sousuke, you in here?!” he practically yells, even though the apartment’s small and the sound carries more than well even if you use your indoor voice. Sousuke’s on the couch in the living room, and he’s very much there. Physically, that is.

Rin finally comes in, and when he stops in front of the couch, he sighs in what sounds like relief. As if Sousuke would’ve been anywhere else but their apartment or the hospital these days. “Bet you haven’t moved from there in a while, huh.”

Sousuke doesn’t reply, because he knows he doesn’t need to. All he does is stare at the TV screen in front of him that isn’t even turned on. It doesn’t really matter, because he won’t be able to focus on the moving pictures on the screen, anyway. He almost feels like the blackness of the screen is going to swallow him whole, like a void.

 _Good. Take me, put me out of my misery, end this life which isn’t even worth living anymore_.

“Say something!” Rin demands, and Sousuke finally flinches, forcefully taken out of his apathetic state. “I know you’re blaming yourself for this, but you can’t. Because it wasn’t your fault.”

“Then whose was it?” he shoots back. “Haruka’s? A god pissed off at me for some reason who decided it was a good idea to let me drive into a fucking guard rail?”

“It’s no one’s fault! Things like these happen, Sousuke.”

“Yeah? You make it sound like it’s  _supposed_  to happen, and that it’s normal.”

Rin opens his mouth to fire off another response, but he closes it again when he probably realises he doesn’t have a good way to reply. Instead, he sits down next to Sousuke on the couch with another sigh.

“He’s going to wake up, Sousuke. Just give him time.”

“How much time? How do we know for sure he’s coming back? What if it ends up being impossible, and I have to turn off that goddamn life support machine? Stop sounding like you know the answer to everything, Rin. It doesn’t help. Be realistic, for once.”

“No, how about  _you_  be a little  _optimistic_  for a change? Don’t you believe in him? Don’t you think he  _wants_  to come back, to be with you?”

“As if he has a say in that”, Sousuke snorts. “You think he can just magically decide on whether or not he wants to come back or not? This isn’t a film, Rin. This is reality, and reality says Haruka might not make it out of that coma.”

“You... really don’t know anything, huh”, Rin breathes. “You should pay more attention to what the doctors tell you. Because I know they’ve told you this. Probably around the same time they told you to keep talking to him.”

Sousuke has no idea what Rin is talking about, but for some reason, he’s very eager to find out.

But when the doctors tell him the truth the next day as he visits the hospital again, he wishes he hadn’t asked.

 

* * *

 

One week becomes two, a third one beginning. Sousuke loses more and more sleep, and his tension headache refuses to subside. It’s always there as a constant reminder of what he’s become; a complete mess who doesn’t eat, sleep or drink enough water. A grey cloud over his head, always threatening to spill the rain it’s holding within.

He’s apparently lost weight, too, because his trousers sit more loosely now, and Rin tells him his cheeks look more hollowed out. Not that any of it matters, because he doesn’t really have anyone to look good for. No one who wakes up by his side and gives him that tiny smile that’s most evident in those dark blue eyes Sousuke feels like he could drown in.

Oh, if only it were that easy.

His visits to the hospital are still daily, and the nurses always greet him with the same pitiful look in their eyes. He hates it, and it pisses him off to see people think of him as a weak person, unable to take care of himself. Sure, it isn’t far from the truth, but he doesn’t want it to look that way.

Every day repeats the same cycle of him sitting in that chair and not really knowing what to say, what to do. He stares at the heart monitor, watching the steady curves and listening to the beep every time a curve goes up. Silence drives him up the wall, but the sound of Haru’s life support machine makes Sousuke want to jump out a window.

“Haruka... why don’t you want to come back? Is it because of me? Because I’m here? I... I can stop coming here, if that’s what you want. I can move out of our apartment. I’ll do anything, just.... fuck, just come back. It’d hurt like hell not to have you in my life anymore, but— but just knowing you’re still alive would mean a lot to me. And I’d learn to live with it.”

That’s a half-lie. Sousuke doesn’t actually know  _how_  he’d react if Haruka were to say he doesn’t want anything to do with Sousuke ever again — but he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t handle it well in the least bit. The thought of all the things he could possibly do in a scenario like that is a scary one, and he’s glad he hasn’t voiced these things out loud.

“Ah, who am I kidding — I’d die without you”, he mumbles. “So what, I’m selfish, like that’s anything new. I just want you to be here with me, Haruka. I’d spend the rest of my life repenting for what I’ve done to you, I promise... just... come back. I love you. Fuck... I’m so scared of losing you.”

He’s leaning over Haruka now, holding his hand between his own two hands. It’s cold, and it reminds Sousuke of how his boyfriend is in limbo, between life and death, and how he’s apparently wavering between wanting to come back and wanting to give up the fight. This isn’t fair. The gods always end up taking away those who don’t deserve it far too soon. Haruka’s definitely one who shouldn’t be allowed to die like this, and so soon.

At some point, Sousuke falls asleep, his head resting on Haruka’s chest. The steady but slow beating of Haruka’s heart is like a lullaby, cradling him to sleep that he’s so desperately needed for the past week or so. Not even the bright light in the room seems to be able to prevent him from sleeping this time, and maybe that’s because he’s hit a breaking point where almost nothing would be able to stop him.

Sousuke ends up having weird and scary dreams in his sleep. He sees several different scenarios in which Haruka dies; he’s drowning, he’s hit by a bus, stabbed in the abdomen, drowning, burning alive—

The tall man feels his consciousness return as someone’s running their fingers through his hair. It’s probably Gou, she must’ve come by because she’s worried just like her brother. They worry in very different ways; Gou being the silent, caring type while Rin is loud, paranoid.

It just doesn’t  _feel_  like Gou. The hand movements are too gentle, too graceful, and those fingers feel more long and slender than hers, which are considerably shorter and wouldn’t be able to move around like that in Sousuke’s hair. The fingers combing through his hair almost feel like they belong to an artist—

An artist?

Sousuke looks up so fast he almost fears his neck's going to snap. Teal blue eyes meet dark blue, blue like the deepest of ocean, like the colour the sky has turned so often when he's gone for a run with Haruka.  _Haruka_...

“Haruka?” he says slowly, doubtfully. There’s really no mistaking it, though; that pitch black hair, that little, sharp nose, the little smile that reaches and lights up his eyes, brightens his entire being.

“Yeah.”

Sousuke’s breath hitches in his throat, and before he knows it, big, ugly tears stream down his face, and he’s full-out crying. He squeezes Haruka’s hand between his, brings it to his lips and peppers it with kisses. No word sequence in any language could ever express what he feels right now, how happy and relieved he is.

“I’m so glad... so glad you’re... you’re back. I can’t believe it. This isn’t a dream, is it?”

Haruka pinches him with his free hand, and it does indeed sting. While crying, Sousuke’s now also laughing and hiccuping as a result. This isn’t a dream. Haruka’s woken up, he’s chosen to come back.  _He’s back_.

“It isn’t a dream. Dummy”, Haruka says, and Sousuke still can’t believe this is happening in real life and that it isn’t a dream.

“I love you”, he manages after having collected himself a little. Haruka smiles, eyes narrowing and his entire face radiating with affection.

“I know. And I love you, too.”

“You don’t want to leave me?”

“No.”

Sousuke takes a deep breath. “Even after what I did?”

“It wasn’t your fault, and I don’t blame you for what happened. So don’t blame yourself, either. Don’t tell Rin I said that, because I know he’ll just get cocky that I agreed with him for once.”

The taller man laughs, his heart feeling light. “Sure.”

If anything, Sousuke vows to himself that he’ll spend every day from now on grateful that they’ve been given a second chance at life together. Because there’s no other way he’d rather live, than by Haruka’s side.


	52. SouHaru #17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke and Haruka being parents.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Sousuke’s butt hurts from having sat on the floor for so long, but he’s not going to give up. At least not yet; maybe when his butt has literally fallen asleep and he can’t feel it anymore.

Haruka walks past him and snorts, and Sousuke glares daggers at his husband.

“Laugh all you want, I’m  _going_  to succeed. Oh, and I’ll also make sure Hikaru’s first word is ‘Daddy’.”

“Good luck with that”, Haruka replies dryly, and Sousuke clicks his tongue before returning his attention to his son in front of him.

_This shouldn’t be so hard_ , Sousuke thinks. Not that he has much experience with trying to teach kids to talk, but really — how difficult  _can_  it be? All it probably takes is a lot of patience and perseverance. Does Sousuke have much of it? No, but this might be good practice. He’s probably going to need more of it as the years go on, anyway.

“Hikaru, say ‘Daddy’”, he says gently, taking his son’s small hands between his. Hikaru looks up at him and begins to laugh, and while the mere sound of his son’s laughter makes Sousuke’s heart melt, it isn’t exactly what he’s looking for. He swallows a sigh and tries a few more times before giving up for the day.

Of course, Haruka is quick to start making not so discreet jabs at him while they’re cooking dinner and even as they go to bed that night.

“Honestly,  _you_  try it, then”, Sousuke grumbles as he crawls under the duvet. Haruka rolls his eyes.

“Sure, I can do that.”

The taller man clicks his tongue. “You make it sound so goddamn easy. We’ll see how well you do, Haruka.”

 

* * *

 

Haruka doesn’t succeed, either, and Sousuke shoots him a triumphant grin. They keep trying every now and then, not trying to push little Hikaru  _too_  much since he’s still very young, after all. Sousuke just thinks it would be so incredibly cool to hear his own child talk, and for it to have been all thanks to their efforts.

Sousuke comes home from work on a very rainy Wednesday evening. Luckily he’s driving to and from work, but he’s still not completely dry, since he had to walk from their driveway to the entrance. He runs a hand through his already moist hair and sighs exasperatedly. It certainly hasn’t been a good day, that’s for sure. He takes a deep breath.

“I’m home”, he announces as he bends down to take his shoes off. He soon hears the sound of footsteps, and when he straightens himself back up again, Haruka’s standing by his side. The shorter man stands on his toes, pulls Sousuke down by his jacket and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Welcome home. Guessing it was a bad day?”

“Tell me about it. I just really wanna sit my ass down and do nothing for a while.”

“That’s fine”, Haruka replies before taking his hand. “I want to show you something.”

“What is it?”

His husband scoffs. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. It won’t take long. Probably. Just come with me.”

Sousuke does as he’s told, and lets Haruka lead him into the apartment, where he’s sat down by the kotatsu. Haruka disappears into their bedroom for a second, and returns with Hikaru in his arms. He sets down the little dark brown-haired boy in Sousuke’s lap, and his confusion grows.

“What—”

“Hikaru, say  _papa_ ”, Haruka says, voice a borderline coo, which sounds so strange but also really adorable coming from him, Sousuke thinks. So he sits, and he waits patiently for what Haruka expects to happen. It’s just been a few days since he last tried — has Haruka really had that much free time to sit down and try and teach their son to talk?

Hikaru looks up at Sousuke with his hazel eyes, and he almost hesitantly opens his mouth. “Papa.”

Sousuke lets his jaw drop, and Haruka lets out a victorious little  _hmph_. Hikaru giggles, and Sousuke can’t even be frustrated about his son’s first word not being ‘daddy’, because he’s still said his first word, and that means things will probably only go pretty smoothly from here on out with him learning new words.

“I’m so glad I didn’t bet on this”, Sousuke finally says after a while, and Haruka laughs.


	53. Chapter 9 continuation - MakoRei: Cheating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Continuation of the[MakoRei cheating request](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/9497019).**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Haru lets him in without really asking why Makoto’s on his doorstep looking like absolute hell, but Makoto’s afraid of telling his best friend the reason why — as he knows Haru would either give him a scolding of the century or flat-out kick him out of the house. Despite that, he knows he’ll eventually  _have_  to talk, since Haru isn’t just going to let him stay there without a reason, when he has a perfectly good home to return to.

If only it were that easy. Makoto’s pretty sure he won’t ever be able to call that place his home again, because he certainly doesn’t deserve it. So what’s he going to do, send Haru to get his things? No, he’s already relied on Haru far too much throughout practically their entire lives. He has to do it himself, and let that visit be the last he’ll ever make to what used to be his and Rei’s apartment.

The apartment now stands empty, with neither of them occupying it. Makoto assumes Rei probably stays with Nagisa right now, and knowing that it’s a possibility makes Makoto almost want to go and check it out. He wants to talk to Rei so desperately, but he knows Nagisa won’t let him in, and Rei won’t even think twice about denying him the luxury of explaining himself.

He hasn’t talked to Kenji since it happened, and he doesn’t expect to ever again. It’ll be incredibly awkward having to attend the same lectures and seminars together, but all he really has to do is ignore the other man. Not that he thinks Kenji will want to talk to him after this, knowing Makoto just destroyed a perfectly good relationship.

Because what kind of a person would want to be friends with someone like that, after them having cheated on their significant other? Rei means the entire world to Makoto, so why on Earth did he think it was such a good idea to respond to Kenji’s advances and then lead him into his and Rei’s bedroom?

Makoto spends most of his days off classes in bed, and whenever he has to go, he only half pays attention and as a result ends up doing really bad in exams and on assignments in general. His professor in anatomy even asks him one time if he’s doing okay, and as Makoto always does, he puts on a bright smile, narrows his eyes a little and says he’s fine.

It’s a habit he’s had for so many years, and it fools nearly everyone who doesn’t know him too well. Of course, this doesn’t work on Haruka, but it’s something Makoto has known for several years. That still doesn’t stop him from trying to hide things from his best friend occasionally, because he’d just like to at least once be able to tell a white lie and get away with it.

“Makoto, you need to tell me what’s going on. You’ve been here for a week, and you haven’t said a thing”, Haru says, sitting down by the futon in which Makoto’s in, buried in a blanket. “I don’t mind having you here, but I know you’re here for a reason other than just a casual visit. Something happened with Rei, right?”

He flinches and then cringes, as the image of Rei involuntarily plants itself behind his eyelids, forcing him to see it even if he’s closing his eyes. All he does is groan in response, and Haru sighs.

“Did you have a fight?”

Makoto swallows. “No.”

“So what happened? Talk to me. You can’t keep hiding forever.”

The brunet under the blanket absolutely hates confrontations. It’s what eventually caused him and Haru to have their very first fight in their last year of high school, what caused Rin to bring Haru to Australia, but also what eventually helped Haru in finding is own dream and the two of them making up again.

For the most part, Makoto would say that their friendship has improved since, that their mutual trust is on a different level now and that they’ve learnt a lot from what happened. But then there’s still that part of Makoto that prevents him from being completely open with his feelings, because he’s afraid of burdening people, when he already feels like he’s enough of a burden on others.

“I… he walked in on me and Kenji-kun”, Makoto mumbles, his voice muffled by the blanket covering his mouth.

“You and Kenji, what? Did you cheat on Rei?”

Makoto inhales sharply, and tears sting in his eyes. He lets out a shaky breath, and before he knows it, he’s crying. He rarely ever cries, and when it usually does break for him, he makes sure he’s alone. This time, however, he can’t hold it in no matter how hard he tries.

“I did”, he admits between sobs. “I did, and I’m a terrible person. I don’t even know why.”

Haru sits silent for a while, and Makoto almost thinks his best friend has left, but then he speaks up again. “You  _do_  know why. You just don’t want to admit it, either to me, or to yourself.”

It’s both, really, but he doesn’t say it. He feels greedy, dirty, for feeling like he and Rei haven’t had sex in a while, and that he’s under-satisfied. What kind of a sex-crazed animal would he be if he so desperately needs to have sex to function properly? Shouldn’t Rei’s love and affection be more than enough? If it isn’t, then something most definitely isn’t working out in their relationship.

Not that it’d be possible to repair after what he’s done  _now_ , though.

“I… I love Rei. I really do. I just… Kenji-kun and I were just studying, and then—“

“Did he have sex with you against your will?”

Makoto flinches. “No, that’s not it!“

“So you wanted to.”

This time, he goes silent. Because what’s he supposed to say to that? ‘Yes, I wanted to cheat on my boyfriend’? ‘Yes, I wanted to have sex with another guy because I crave sex so badly’? Nothing he says in defence will ever be good enough for him to keep the little shred of pride he still has left.

As expected, Haru is absolutely merciless when it comes to his confrontation, but Makoto doesn’t deserve his mercy, his understanding or forgiveness. He doesn’t deserve as good of a friend that Haru is, but he also doesn’t know who else he would’ve gone to in this situation. Rin would definitely react a lot worse, being loud and give Makoto a scolding he’d never forget.

“Did you get caught in the act?”

He cringes. The look in Rei’s eyes is still etched into Makoto’s mind, and he sees it whenever he closes his eyes. It doesn’t matter what he does, because it’ll always remind him that he’s the one who caused Rei all this pain, and the one who landed him in Haru’s house.

“… Yeah.” When he’s met with silence, Makoto sighs. “You must think I’m a terrible person.”

“I do. As a friend, you’re a good person, but as a boyfriend, you’re not. I wouldn’t blame Rei for not taking you back.”

Honestly, neither would Makoto.

 

* * *

 

Nagisa may not mind it, but Rei absolutely hates the way he can’t stop crying and showing himself this weak. In the past week, he’s cried pretty much every day at least once. It gets worse at night, because that’s when he’s left alone with his thoughts and the mental image of Makoto and his friend in  _their_  bed right in front of his eyes.

Is it because Rei isn’t good enough, after all? Honestly, if Makoto were to cheat with anyone, Rei would’ve assumed it to be Haruka. But Haruka hasn’t really shown any sign of wanting to try and get close to Makoto that way, ever since that day they’d gotten caught holding hands after the spring festival, so maybe that wouldn’t be so likely, after all.

So Makoto instead ended up having sex with someone he’s known for less than a year and only attends the same classes with. He knows they’ve barely hung out outside classes except for maybe study sessions at the library, but that would be the extent of it. Well, that’s as far as  _he_  knows — there might be some things Makoto’s hiding from him, after all.

“Rei-chan…”

A hushed voice reaches his ears, but he doesn’t open his eyes. All he wants is for Nagisa to not talk to him about any of this and just let him be, but that’s too much to ask for, seeing as he’s the uninvited guest, overstaying his welcome by a great deal.

“I know you’re not gonna like this, but… Mako-chan’s here. He wants to talk to you.”

Rei’s heart stops beating, and he winces. Had the doorbell really rung? He certainly hadn’t heard it in that case, but maybe that’s because he’s pretty much been in his own little world for the past few days. He’s barely ate, slept or had anything to drink, and as a result, he has a pounding tension headache that refuses to loosen its grip on him.

“Tell him to go. I don’t want to talk.”

“Just listen to him”, Nagisa almost begs. “You don’t have to take him back just because he wants you do. Do what you feel is right. But just hear him out, let him explain himself.”

“What good is that going to do if I’ve already made up my mind?”

“Closure, maybe.”

That makes Rei rethink things a little. Not that he could ever see himself be in the same situation that Makoto’s in right now, because cheating on your partner is way below Rei and something he finds beyond disgusting and unforgivable — but just  _if_  he were to be in a position where he wants to explain himself, he would’ve wanted Makoto to give him that chance.

 

* * *

 

So he concedes, and Nagisa disappears from the living room. He sighs before sitting up, and that’s when the ache in his body reminds him of its presence. He’s been lying in that exact same spot by Nagisa’s kotatsu for god knows how long, and he’s only now feeling the consequences of it.

Nagisa returns soon enough, and after him, Makoto follows. He looks like a dog walking with its tail between its legs, and it almost makes Rei want to laugh.

The two of them sit down by the kotatsu, Nagisa next to Rei and Makoto on the other side. His chest hurts when he thinks about the fact that Nagisa and Makoto are usually switched, with Makoto always sitting next to Rei whenever they’re either at home or visiting others. Things will be vastly different from now on, and that’s not something Rei thinks he’s ready for just yet.

“Rei… I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but I… I still did next to nothing to stop it. I don’t expect you to forgive me, because I don’t deserve it, but I just wanted you to know that I really am sorry.”

“Why did you do it?” Rei has to ask, even though he knows that no matter the reply, it’ll still hurt. He has to hear it to make it easier for him to move on. Like Nagisa said, they need closure, or he’ll never be able to be free, go back to living like a normal person again.

“Because I… we— we haven’t had sex in a while. And I felt frustrated… like we’ve grown apart, somehow.”

“So you decided to have sex with a friend instead. Well. Now I know where you stand on those things.”

“Rei, that’s not… Please don’t think that I don’t love you. I love you more than anyone or anything in this entire world, and I hate myself for having done this to you. It was a mistake, but it had nothing to do with my love for you.”

“Well, you did me a favour in this”, Rei says before getting up from the floor. “You opened my eyes and let me see your true colours. So I guess I should be thankful. I’m moving out of the apartment, so you don’t have to bother.”

“But—”

“No”, he says and sighs again, already exhausted. “I can’t go back to living there after what you did.”

When Rei leaves the living room to go into Nagisa’s bedroom instead, he hopes that his last words stung. He closes the door behind him and slides down with his back against it, and as soon as he hits the floor, he cries again. This is only the beginning of a painful process of trying to get past a break-up, and Rei most definitely isn’t looking forward to what’s about to come.

 

* * *

 

Nagisa and Haruka both help to move Rei’s things out of the apartment in Tokyo, bringing it back to Nagisa’s house with the help of Haruka’s relative and their family sedan. Meanwhile, Rei begins looking for a new place to live in Iwatobi.

Having originally thought Haruka would be cold and distant towards him, Rei finds the other man to actually not having changed much. If anything, he seems a little more kind now, and Rei feels bad for having taken for granted that Haruka would take Makoto’s side in this. He guesses Haruka’s chosen to stay neutral on the subject, and that’s fine by him.

Adjusting to this new way of living is difficult, Rei finds, but he’s glad he’s got Nagisa by his side throughout all of it, with the occasional visit from Kengo. Things will work out for him in the end, or so he hopes. It still feels a little too soon to be optimistic, but Rei hopes to get there one day. One day, when he’s at least somewhat healed his heart again.


	54. SouHaru #18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke's and Haru's kids play matchmaker with their dads in hopes they will get to be brothers. Afterwards, Sou and Haru then stress over how to tell the news to their kids.**
> 
> Asked by: [secretwerewolfexpert](http://secretwerewolfexpert.tumblr.com).

“Hey, Yuu?”

“Yeah.”

Takumi throws his pebble into the water, watching it create ripples on the surface as it bounces once, twice, three times before finally sinking. Sousuke’s tried teaching him the good technique to stone skipping several times, but Takumi still has a long way to go before he’s properly mastered it.

“Wouldn’t it be awesome if we were brothers?”

Yuu throws him an odd look before he, too, throws a pebble onto the surface. Takumi pouts as he watches Yuu’s almost perfectly shaped stone skip a whole six times before sinking. “I guess. Why?”

“I was thinking, like, what if my dad got together with your dad… or something. That’d be pretty cool. I mean, if you think so, too.”

And honestly, he finds the idea of sharing a room with Yuu pretty cool, too. The idea of them lying awake late at night and talking about all sorts of stuff is incredibly exciting. Even if they  _weren’t_  to share a room, it’d still be nice to have someone like Yuu as his brother, despite them not being related by blood.

“Sure”, Yuu replies. “But how would that even happen? Our dads are friends, and I don’t think they’d ever be more than that.”

Takumi raises an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oh, really. What if we helped them a little?”

His friend looks at him suspiciously, but still humours him. “I’m listening.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke’s pretty sure Haruka has no idea he visits the little pastry shop so often just so he can see the other man more often. But to be fair, Haruka’s  _really_  good at cooking, so it works in several ways. Rin has come with him several times, too, and while he isn’t one for sweets, he at least joins Sousuke for lunch there, if only to rest his eyes on Haruka’s co-worker for a little too long.

“The usual, I’m guessing?” Haruka asks as he approaches Sousuke, who’s sitting on a barstool by the counter. He’s been looking through the menu a few times over, but he and Haruka both know he’ll settle for what he usually has. Besides, Sousuke doesn’t feel like being  _too_  adventurous today.

“Sure. Thanks.”

Haruka nods once and disappears into the kitchen, and then Makoto switches him off. Sousuke’s been here so many times by now, but he’s never, ever seen Makoto cook before. Maybe he doesn’t know how to? But in that case, why the hell is he working here? Just to serve and do the dishes? It’s not a job Sousuke could see himself having, but then again, he’s more than glad about working within the police force, as it really suits him.

He’s deliberately staying for as long as he can, just to make sure there aren’t too many people around. The little note in Sousuke’s pocket is almost burning a hole through it at this point, and he’s itching to ask Haruka what the hell it’s about. He feels silly for having had this note in his pocket ever since Takumi had given it to him this morning, but he feels like he’d lose it otherwise.

Finally when most of the customers have left the café and the two employees are mostly just standing around and talking, Sousuke decides to speak up. He clears his throat.

“Nanase, you got a minute?”

Haruka turns to him with a slightly surprised look on his face, but it quickly disappears and is replaced by his usual, neutral expression. “Sure. Makoto, don’t burn the place down.”

Sousuke holds back a snort as Makoto desperately begins defending himself, and Haruka motions for him to follow him to the back.

There are several plants and flowers behind the building where they go out. It almost doesn’t surprise Sousuke that Haruka seems to have a green thumb, too, among all of the other talents he has. What’s next, he’s an artist, too?

Haruka turns to him expectantly and crosses his arms over his chest. Sousuke scratches the back of his head and clears his throat.

“So, er... Takumi gave me your note earlier. And I guess I’d say yes.”

The reaction he receives is one Sousuke definitely wouldn’t have expected. Haruka frowns at him, and it makes him wonder if he’s been set up. But by whom? Takumi? No, why would he? He likes Haruka, so he wouldn’t do this to worsen things between Haruka and Sousuke... right?

“I... oh”, Haruka begins. “Yuu just told me  _he_  wanted to invite you over for dinner. But I guess we could do that, it’d be fun. Is tomorrow okay? I need to buy groceries and such.”

Sousuke’s eyes widen. Fun? Does Haruka think things are  _fun_? Well, you learn something new every day, as they say. “No, I mean... you don’t have to, it’s fine, really. I don’t wanna be a bother.”

“You wouldn’t be. Come to my house at five tomorrow. You know where we live, so I probably don’t have to tell you.”

He  _does_  know where the Nanase’s live, but that doesn’t mean Sousuke hasn’t gotten lost nearly every time he’s driven Takumi to their house for a playdate. He blames it on the way nearly every house in the neighbouring blocks look identical, and it confuses him. Of course, Takumi will never, ever let him live his bad sense of direction down.

When he’s doing the dishes after dinner that night, Sousuke receives a text. He picks up his phone from the counter top with still somewhat wet hands, and his heart beats a little faster upon seeing the sender’s name on his screen.

 **NANASE, HARUKA** :  _Bring Takumi to the café tomorrow before you come here. I’m having Makoto take care of them for the evening. Easier that way_.

 

Whatever Haruka means by that, Sousuke has absolutely no clue, but the whole idea of having dinner with Haruka just started sounding far more interesting.

 

* * *

 

A successful drop-off at the café without getting lost on the way, a delicious dinner and lack of conversation during said meal later, Sousuke has insisted on helping Haruka out with cleaning up afterwards. He’s never really been in this kitchen before, as whenever he’s come over, he’s just sat in the living room for a few minutes before leaving.

The thought that it’s just the two of them now without Takumi and Yuuichirou around makes Sousuke almost nervous. Neither of them are good with talking, really, so what are they going to do to pass time? Not that Sousuke's in much of a hurry to leave, but still.

Sousuke fidgets a little, scratching a little speck off of the glass he’s holding in his hand. He wishes he was better at these things; at socialising, making friends, maybe even something more, even. Anything to break this boring cycle he goes through every day of going to work, picking his son up from work, making them dinner, helping him as much as he can with homework... Haruka has to be pretty much the same way, right? As far as Sousuke can see, he, too, is a single father. Unless...

“Hey, Nanase”, he begins, treading carefully into foreign territory, “you and Tachibana... are you dating?”

“What, me and Makoto?” Haruka actually  _laughs_ , albeit a short-lived laugh, and Sousuke’s heart flutters in his chest at the sound of it, at the way the corners of Haruka’s eyes crinkle, the way his shoulders go up and down a little. “No, we’re just childhood friends. Why?”

Ah, shoot. This was something Sousuke hadn’t planned for. Indeed, why  _is_  he asking such a thing? He knows, but he doesn’t really want to admit it. So should he lie instead?

“No reason, really. You just looked like it”, he tries, and Haruka hums almost teasingly, a weird look on his face.  _Shit, he sees through me, doesn’t he?_

Is there anything Nanase Haruka  _can’t_  do?

The weird tension between them quickly drives Sousuke up the wall, and he properly turns to face Haruka. “What  _is_  it? Something on my face?”

“You’re really not good with this, are you?”

“With what?”

Haruka demonstrates by taking two steps closer and ending up right in Sousuke’s personal space. He feels like his heart wants to break free from the confines of his ribcage. Probably straight into Haruka’s hands, too. Before he knows it, Haruka places a hand behind his head and guides him down to let their lips meet in a chaste kiss that sets Sousuke’s entire body on fire.

When he pulls away, Haruka’s got that sly smile on his lips, and Sousuke almost leans in to kiss it away, but refrains. “Oh”, he says. “That’s what you meant.”

“Yeah. So. Do you want tea?”

The way Haruka so casually switches back as if that kiss  _didn’t_  just happen stumps Sousuke, and he can’t help but just stand there and gape like an idiot. He quickly recovers, though, and coughs awkwardly.

“Sure, that’d be great.”

 

* * *

 

They start seeing each other outside of work more often, just having dinner together or coffee. Well, ‘coffee’ ends up meaning sex in the end, and after a while, it gets so bad that whenever Rin mentions wanting to take a coffee break during work, he feels his face heat up and like there’s an erection budding in his trousers.

Sousuke’s become one of Pavlov’s dogs, and Haruka is Pavlov himself, ringing the bell whenever there’s food available for him to eat. And of course, he ends up almost drooling every goddamn time.

When they’re both in Sousuke’s bed one night, Sousuke lies on his back and stares up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His mind won’t give him a break, and he feels like he has to vent his thoughts after having had them shut inside there for a few days now.

“Hey, Haruka... you asleep?”

It takes a second or two, but Haruka does actually reply. “Yes.”

“Funny guy. Hey, what’re we gonna do about the kids?”

“What about them?”

He clicks his tongue. “Telling them, of course. I mean, I don’t know how they’re gonna react to the idea of us... being like this.”

Haruka supports his elbow on the mattress and rests his chin on the palm of his hand. “What you mean with ‘like this’?”

What  _does_  he mean? He doesn’t even know what they are. Are they dating? Are they just fuckbuddies?

“Er, well... I mean, we’re obviously not just  _friends_...”

“Were we ever?”

He snorts. “I’d like to think so, yeah. At least somewhat.”

Haruka leans forward and kisses him, long and slow, and it almost puts Sousuke right to sleep with how gentle Haruka is. “We could just tell them we’re seeing each other, because that’s basically what we’re doing. Am I wrong?”

Sousuke blinks, a little surprised. “I guess not, no. Yeah, I... like that. You think they’re gonna be creeped out?”

The black-haired man shrugs and lies down again, pulling the duvet up further. “I don’t know. Yuu likes you, so I don’t think he’d mind.”

“Well, Takumi likes you, too. And your cooking.”

Haruka snorts. “Then I guess we’ll be fine. Now, will you let me sleep? I have to be up early to open up the shop.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke and Haruka are sitting on one side of the kotatsu, their sons on the other. The boys have been back from school for less than an hour, and then Haruka had called them into the living room for ‘a talk’. Just hearing it had made Sousuke nervous, but he can’t show himself nervous in front of his son, so he tries to stay neutral in his expression and posture.

“Sousuke and I are dating”, Haruka says without any kind of build-up, and it makes Sousuke choke on the water he not so wisely had decided to drink in this moment. He manages to calm down after about a minute and glares daggers at Haruka.

“Way to be subtle about it”, he grumbles before turning to Yuu and Takumi. When he does, Takumi is holding his hand up to Yuu, who tentatively puts up his hand against Takumi’s in a high-five gesture. “Wait, you two  _knew_?”

Takumi laughs. “No, but we kinda wanted it to happen, anyway.”

“Why?”

“Because then we’d be brothers.”

Haruka and Sousuke exchange looks, and now it’s Sousuke’s turn to laugh. “Oh. Well, that’s not exactly how this works, but okay. So we’re cool?”

“Yeah”, Takumi says, and Yuu nods in response.

Sousuke lets out a sigh of relief. Things had definitely gone a lot better than he originally expected, and he doesn’t have to sneak around about dating Haruka. He still can’t believe they’ve ended up in this spot, after up until just a few weeks ago just having been a little more than acquaintances, whose sons are best friends.

“Dad, can I be honest with you now that this is out in the open?”

Sousuke frowns in confusion. “Sure, go ahead.”

“I wrote that note I told you Nanase-san had sent you. And Yuu told a white lie.”

Yuu quickly averts his gaze, but Haruka doesn’t seem angry at all. Rather, he just looks slightly amused, and Sousuke has to admit he feels pretty much the same way, as well as being shocked. At least this explains the whole confusion from back then.

“You’re definitely my kid, alright”, Sousuke snorts, and Takumi grins at him.

“Of course I am.”


	55. SouHaru / MakoRin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Double date at a karaoke bar where the others convince Haru to sing, and when he does, everyone's stumped by the fact that his voice is otherworldly, and Sousuke's proud of his talented boyfriend.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com).

“You’re kidding, right?”

But Rin’s expression tells Sousuke that he’s absolutely serious about this. And Sousuke doesn’t like it one bit. He’s never sung karaoke before, and he would’ve liked it to stay that way for as long as possible. He’s not one for public outings in general, but this would definitely be the icing on the “public outing” cake.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“Somehow I doubt that."

Of course, Haruka isn’t too keen on the idea, either, so the two of them end up being dragged to the karaoke bar in south-east Iwatobi by Rin, Makoto hesitantly following along, too. Honestly, Sousuke doesn’t know what Makoto has to be afraid of, because he’s sure Makoto’s got a pretty good singing voice. Himself on the other hand… he’s not so sure. He’s probably tone deaf, for all he knows.

On one hand, he’s kind of curious to hear Haruka sing, though, because that’s not something he’s ever heard before despite having lived with him for a while now. But then again, Haruka isn’t the most outgoing person to begin with, so he wouldn’t even dream of singing in the shower. Neither would Sousuke, but that’s beside the point.

They walk inside the karaoke bar and are assigned one of the medium-sized rooms. Rin especially beams up at the mention of them being able to order drinks and snacks into their room using the provided telephone, which makes Sousuke roll his eyes. Well, he’s paying for his own things, so it’s fine. Probably.

He begins by ordering a round of beer into the room, and when they’ve all been put on the table in front of the couch, Rin goes to start browsing through the list of songs available.

“Right, who wants to go first?” Rin asks teasingly. Sousuke and Haruka exchange glances, and Sousuke snorts out a laugh.

“Don’t expect anything from me”, he says and crosses his arms, leaning back against the couch.

“Makoto, you go first.” When Makoto fervently shakes his head, Rin clicks his tongue. “Come  _on_ , I know you have a nice voice. I’ll sing after you, I promise.”

“Do a duet, then”, Haruka deadpans, and Sousuke grins.

“Shut up, Haru, or I’m having  _you_  sing first”, Rin shoots back. “Fine, I’m going first. But then it’s Makoto. And then I’m hauling your ass up here, Sousuke.”

“Why  _me_? I can’t sing.”

“You won’t know until you’ve tried. What’s the harm, it’s just the four of us. You known us since we were kids.”

“I’m not gonna sing, give it up.”

Rin does, but with a pout and a frown. He ends up being the first to sing, and he chooses a song called ” _Aqua Gate_ ”, and it’s unlike anything Sousuke would’ve expected his best friend to sing. Honestly, it’s very cheesy and doesn’t really fit him. Even so, at least Makoto seems to like it, judging by the way he looks at his boyfriend when he sings.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke downs his beer and orders another round for them even though the others have barely finished their first. He figures that if he has to spend a few hours here, he might just as well take advantage of the cheap beer prices. As expected, Haruka doesn’t handle his beer very well, and it doesn’t take him long to get tipsy.

The shorter male leans on Sousuke’s shoulder and looks up at him. “Sousuke… are you going to sing?”

“No”, he says. “I can’t sing, and I won’t.”

“You should. Let’s sing together.”

“You’d sing?” Sousuke asks, raising his eyebrows in sudden interest. Haruka shrugs.

“Maybe.”

Their second round of beers arrive just as Makoto’s about to go up and sing, and Sousue doesn’t have time to react to Haruka’s answer — at least it wasn’t a no, and that has to mean something, right? Makoto looks beyond mortified, but Rin keeps cheering him on, and he eventually agrees to getting up and singing. At least he’s the one most sober of them all, so this shouldn’t be too bad.

Well,  _probably_  not.

“OLDCODEX?” Rin says, baffled, as he looks up at the big screen in front of them. “I mean, I know you like them, but… really?”

“Yeah. I don’t really know any other songs”, Makoto admits with a sheepish smile.

And when he does sing, Sousuke feels bad for having judged his friend beforehand, because Makoto’s voice really fits the style of OLDCODEX’s songs, and he’s got a pretty good range, too. Not that Sousuke feels like he’s got the right to say anything on the matter, but still, it’s very impressive, and makes him feel like he’s learnt something new about Rin’s boyfriend and Haruka’s best friend.

“Alright, Sousuke — you’re up”, Rin says and hands the microphone over to him. He looks at it with mild disgust, wrinkling his nose.

“I’m good. I prefer watching from the sidelines, really.”

Rin sighs exasperatedly as he sits down. He takes a rather large swig of his beer, and proceeds to glare daggers at Sousuke. “You’re so damn boring, you know that?”

“I don’t exist to entertain you.”

“Maybe you don’t but can’t you just... whatever, fine. Haru, get up and sing.”

Haruka groans into Sousuke’s shoulder. “But I’m comfortable here. You can sing again.”

“Hell no”, Rin says with a snort. “You guys haven’t sung yet, so now it’s your turn.”

Haruka looks up at Sousuke, who gives him a look in return that he hopes his boyfriend will interpret as him only singing when he’s dead. Because that’s basically how he feels about exhibitionist things like these. They’re stupid, unnecessary and embarrassing, but the last part isn’t something Sousuke would admit to others.

“Fine, give me that”, Haruka finally says and snatches the microphone away from Rin. He gets up from his spot on the couch and walks over to the TV, upon which everyone else in the room just stare after him with their mouths hanging open. And of course, it only gets worse once Haruka starts singing.

He’s...  _singing_. Haruka... is singing. His voice is so gentle, so unlike his regular speaking voice, and Sousuke feels like his heart might just burst from all of the sudden affection he’s feeling. It’s a very bad combination with the alcohol he’s got in his system, too.

Sousuke’s so entranced by his boyfriend’s singing that he doesn’t notice both Makoto and Rin being in a similar state of admiration and awe. Neither of them say anything even as the song ends, and Haruka goes back to sit in his spot on the couch next to Sousuke. He’s now gone back to the way he was before he sang, and it’s almost like a completely different person.

"Oh my god”, Rin finally says after a minute or so, the terrible background music of the karaoke program playing in the background. “I think I just had a religious experience.”

“Me too”, Makoto chimes in, and Haruka scoffs.

“Well, don’t expect that to happen again.”

Sousuke’s reaction is to lean over to Haruka and kiss him, passionately but not in the ‘I-want-to-fuck-you-against-the-wall’ kind of way, even though he wants to, in both meanings.

“What’s that for?” Haruka asks when he pulls back, and Sousuke smiles.

“No reason.”

“Sousuke, that’s gross”, Rin complains next to him, and Sousuke elbows him in the side.

“You’re one to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Songs used:**
> 
> [Aqua Gate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4pwsT8UY80) \- Miyano Mamoru (Matsuoka Rin character song)  
> [Cold Hands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbMyGPVti9s) \- OLDCODEX  
> [Ao no Kanata ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUj4KZH6p98)\- Shimazaki Nobunaga (Nanase Haruka’s character song)
> 
> Yes, they sang songs by their voice actors. Fight me.


	56. SouHaru #19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: One of them receives a call telling them that the other has ended up in the hospital. They're told that their boyfriend has died, but it's actually a mistake, and said boyfriend walks out of the emergency room, very much alive.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

A drop of sweat trickles down his forehead, and Sousuke wipes it off with a half-hearted motion, knowing it won’t solve anything as it’ll only be joined by yet another very soon. He looks at the clock on the wall, watches the second hand move at what feels like an agonisingly slow speed.

It’s a slow day at work, and of course, Sousuke’s been put in the office, ordered to sort out police reports and filing them correctly. He snorts to himself.  _Correctly_. Why  _wouldn’t_  he do things correctly? Sometimes, he feels like those above him treat him like a kid, telling him the simplest things that even people outside of the police force would understand without difficulty.

 _Damn Rin for being so lucky_ , Sousuke thinks to himself, accompanied by a grumble, envying his friend who’s out probably wrestling a criminal right about now.

Maybe they’re doing this because they don’t think he can do anything too risky because of his shoulder? It’s all in the past, really, so why should it matter now that his shoulder’s actually fully functioning? Sure, he can feel the muscles in it pull every now and then, but it’s barely even noticeable and doesn’t restrict him any way.

But it doesn’t seem to matter how much he tries to tell him that, because nothing ever changes. He still ends up being on top of the list of people to do paperwork, and the last to be called whenever hands-on action is required outside of this cursed building.

His phone suddenly vibrating right next to him on his desk makes Sousuke flinch, and when he sees the name on his screen, his confused frown deepens, as it shows Makoto’s name. Why would  _Tachibana_  call him, of all people? Besides, shouldn’t he still be working? Haru’s probably not too happy about him slacking off.

“Yeah?” he answers, not really caring if anyone comes in and catches him having a ‘leisurely phone call’ when he’s still on duty. He’s been at it for hours on end now, he deserves a break which’ll probably only last him a minute or so, anyway. Unless Makoto’s bored at work, too, and wants to talk about cats or something.

“ _Sousuke, you… you have to go to the hospital. I’m going, too, but… I have to close up first, and I’m freaking out_ —”

“Tachibana, breathe”, Sousuke instructs his friend, and the other does, albeit a shaky breath. “Now start over.”

“ _Haru’s in the hospital. They called me and asked if I could come in, but I won’t be able to be there for a while. I feel bad, like the worst friend ever to exist._ “

Sousuke stands up, his office chair rolling back a bit. “Back up a little. What the fuck happened, and why’s Haruka in the hospital?”

“ _I don’t know! They said he was in an accident, and that’s all I know_.”

Makoto barely has time to finish his sentence before Sousuke hangs up and exits the office, not even bothering to sort out the mess he’s made on his desk. That’s for another day, probably tomorrow, when he’ll have to be stuck in here again.

His pace is fast, strides long, and he doesn’t even care that it’s like a sauna outside and probably in his car, too, because that shouldn’t even be on his list of concerns right now. His thoughts are a jumbled mess, Makoto’s words echoing in his head. Haru was in an accident? What kind, work-related? No, Makoto would’ve been there if that was the case, and he said he didn’t know what kind of accident it was.

Sousuke probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive in his current mental state, as he’s unable to properly focus on things, almost running a red light on his way. The irony of a man working  _within_  the law to not follow it. Well, not that this would be the first time he’d broken a law since he’s had a few parking ticket and two — or three? — speeding tickets before.

When he does reach the hospital, he hurriedly pays for his parking and runs inside towards the reception where the receptionist recoils at his abrasive entrance.

“Nanase Haruka, is he in here?” he asks, actually slightly out of breath. The woman looks through a few papers before she goes ‘ _ah_ ’.

“Yes, he is in the operating room right now. I’m afraid you will have to wait in the waiting room. Are you a relative of the patient?”

“Boyfriend”, he replies, and hopes to the gods that she isn’t going to deny him access because he didn’t hide being in a relationship with someone of the same sex. Well, they say honesty takes you further than lying, and he hopes it’ll be the same in this case, too.

“I see”, she replies, facial expression not changing, and Sousuke holds back a sigh.

“Do you… do you know what happened to him?”

“He was in a car accident; apparently he had been crossing the street, and got hit by a speeding car.”

Sousuke feels like he’s going to be sick. He leans against the desk, not giving two craps about the people standing in line behind him, and takes a breath that hitches in his throat. They wouldn’t  _dare_  take Haruka from him now, not like this, not when he’s still got his entire life ahead of him.

Not when he’s only just recently found a new dream which he feels like he can follow without feeling any pressure from outsiders who’ve got nothing to do with it. Haruka had just found the true meaning of being ‘free’, but is this how it’s going to end? Before he’s had a chance of truly living that life?

“You may wait in the waiting room while he’s in the operating room”, the nurse says as if she’s trying to ease Sousuke’s stress. “Do you know if anyone of Nanase-san’s relatives will be coming? Parents, perhaps?”

Sousuke snorts and turns around. “They wouldn’t even attend his funeral, I’m sure.”

“I’m sorry?”

Without dignifying her with a response, he makes his way in towards the waiting room, where there are a few people sitting around. They’re reading newspapers or magazines, tapping away at their phones, avoiding the reality looming over their heads like grey clouds filled with rain. He wonders if they have umbrellas in case said rain falls. Sousuke hasn’t brought one, hell — he’d been expecting constant sun shining down on him and Haruka pretty much for the rest of his life.

 

* * *

 

He sits down on one of the vacant chairs, but he can’t really sit still; his legs jiggling, his mind not staying on one track, the urge to completely lose it intensifying with he dead silence lingering in the room.

Ever since he had to start going to hospitals regularly for his shoulder, Sousuke’s hated them with a burning passion. This time, he’s terrified. Hospitals may give a second chance at life, but they may also end a life that shouldn’t be ended so soon. Hospitals are too clean, too bright, too sterile — too much for him to handle.

Time passes far too slowly when he’s either sitting or walking about in that waiting room. At some point, Makoto arrives, too, but Sousuke’s too deep in his own thoughts that he barely notices the other man sitting down.

When he sits down as well, Sousuke feels Makoto’s eyes on him, but he’s obviously not able to tell what  _kind_  of look Makoto’s giving him. Is it out of pity? No, Haru’s Makoto’s best friend — that wouldn’t make sense, since they’re both in pretty much the same boat right now. Concern? It wouldn’t surprise Sousuke, honestly, because Makoto has a bad habit of always putting everyone else before himself.

“Sousuke”, Makoto begins, voice soft but brittle. “Haru’s… he’s gonna be fine. I know he is.”

“How the hell do you know that?” he mutters back. “Anything could’ve happened. He was in a fucking  _car accident_ , Tachibana. Not a lot of people make it out of those alive.”

“Maybe we should just believe that he will?”

Sousuke gets up from his chair, unable to take Makoto’s naïveté any longer. “Can you  _stop_  acting like everything’s fucking sunshine and rainbows all the time?! Wake up and smell the goddamn coffee, Tachibana. Haruka’s in a  _hospital_. He’s been in an  _accident_ , and he might not make it.”

He makes sure to emphasise pretty much every other word to make Makoto understand that he literally can’t be positive in this situation. Haruka’s staring Death right in the eye in this very moment, and Sousuke just begs that Death won’t take Haruka with him.

Makoto gets up from his chair as well, but what he proceeds to do next is something Sousuke definitely wouldn’t have expected, and the gesture makes him flinch.

“I’m sorry”, Makoto says, voice slightly muffled by the fabric of Sousuke’s shirt, embracing Sousuke tight, as if trying to find a way to keep himself steady. Sousuke relents, lets Makoto lean on him, and he sighs, relaxing into the hug.

“It’s fine. I should apologise, really. I just want you to know that I can’t be positive about this. Kudos to you if you can, though.”

Soon enough, the door to one of the operating rooms opens, upon which both Makoto and Sousuke separate from their awkward hug to look at the door. A nurse taking off her surgical mask comes out, a bitter look on her face, her mouth formed in a straight line. Sousuke knows that look. He knows it, even though he hasn’t even seen it before. It’s too easy to spot, really.

Said nurse approaches them, and Sousuke feels his stomach drop. “Are you here for Nanase Haruka-san?” she asks, and Sousuke turns to look at Makoto.  _This isn’t happening. This is a nightmare, a cruel joke played on them by some cruel fucker above, or below? This is—_

“Yes”, Makoto answers, and Sousuke feels like he sees the nurse clutching the file in her hands a little tighter.

“I have come to inform you that Nanase Haruka-san did not make it. I am so sorry for your loss.”

Sousuke feels the floor disappear under his feet, and he’s falling into an endless abyss of darkness, despair, a void that swallows him whole. Maybe that’s for the best, anyway, because now that the most important person in his life is gone, he has no reason to live. And it’s something he doesn’t like to admit, because he’s always wanted to stay free of such co-dependent issues.

The nurse walks back inside, and Makoto falls to the floor, his knees hitting it with a thud. And when he falls, he cries. Sousuke’s never, ever seen Makoto cry — he was pretty sure this was something his friend never did. Because, as is known to everyone around them, Makoto makes sure to make everyone else around him happy, and he always does so with a smile on his face. If there’s something he’s hiding within of a negative nature, Sousuke wouldn’t be able to guess it or notice it even if he was Makoto’s very best friend.

He backs up against the wall next to him and slides down onto the floor, eyes fixed on a spot in front of him that isn’t there. Sousuke feels like he’s watching his life flashing before his eyes, but he soon notices that it’s not quite like that; it’s his life with  _Haruka_  he’s vividly imagining. It was far too short to call ‘a life with Haruka’, and to think that it’s ended now is too cruel and unimaginable thought.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke and Makoto both sit on the floor for what feels like hours. Hell, it might just have  _been_  a few hours, because Sousuke doesn’t have a perception of time right now. He doesn’t want to get his phone out of his pocket, he doesn’t want to turn his head to look at the clock on the wall to his right, he doesn’t want to be reminded of the fact that this is reality. Haruka is dead, and somewhere out there, someone is responsible for it.

Filled with sudden rage, all signs of apathy having disappeared, Sousuke gets up from the floor and turns around. Makoto’s sobs abruptly stop, and Sousuke knows the other man’s going to ask him—

“Where are you going?”

“To find the fucking bastard who killed my boyfriend, what do you think?”

“How would you do that? He’s... probably escaped a long time ago. It’s useless.”

“No”, Sousuke growls and turns to Makoto. “There’s got to be people who saw it. I just have to go around and ask. Get security camera footage from nearby buildings. There’s got to be  _something_ , I can’t just sit here on my worthless ass and do jack shit about it, Tachibana. I want to make sure he didn’t die in vain.”

He can’t believe these words are coming out of his mouth; Sousuke manages to surprise even himself right now. Does that mean he’s actually accepted the fact that Haruka’s gone already? Is he  _that_  cold-hearted of a person? He’s been dumb to think he’s actually changed, that Haruka managed to change him in that regard.

“Who died?”

Sousuke turns around at the far too familiar voice calling out to them, and he feels like he's going to faint. He hears Makoto gasp behind him, and then—

“Ha-Haru...?”

“Yeah”, Haruka says, and Sousuke can’t believe what he’s seeing, what he’s hearing. Up until a few seconds ago, he’d been forced to believe that his boyfriend had died following a car accident. Yet now he’s standing here, as if nothing’s really happened. Well, Sousuke can see that Haruka’s patched up in a few places, and that they’ve wrapped a bandage around his head, but he’s  _alive_.

He doesn’t have time to think before his feet do the thinking for him, bringing him forward in long strides, and soon enough, his arms find their way around Haruka again. This is where they belong. This is where  _Sousuke_  belongs.

“How... why... we thought you  _died_ ”, he whispers, and Haruka laughs a little.

“I heard that. No, I got a concussion and some bruises. I’m fine, Sousuke.”

“Really? You’re... this isn’t a dream?”

“No. I’m here.”

Sousuke tightens his embrace, closes his eyes and releases a shaky sigh of relief. He doesn’t have much time to have Haruka to himself before Makoto joins their hug, embracing Haruka from behind.

“Haru, I’m so glad... I can’t believe you’re still alive.”

Haru snorts. “I’m not going to die that easily, Makoto.”

Sousuke pulls back to look at his boyfriend, still in disbelief that he’s able to do this when he thought he’d never be able to do it again just a moment ago. “Wait, so tell me what the fuck happened. Because I was just about to go out there and start a goddamn investigation— well, I might  _still_  do it to catch the bastard, but tell me anyway.”

“Can we get out of here first?” Haruka asks, and Sousuke only now notices how exhausted he looks. With a nod and Makoto finally letting go of his best friend, the three exit the hospital. In the car, Haruka tells them what happened, and it’s the first time Sousuke hears that the black-haired man had left the pastry shop to get milk for the coffee and for some of the pastries he needed to bake.

“If only I’d gone instead”, Makoto says as Haruka finishes talking, and both Sousuke and Haruka glare at him.

“Don’t you  _dare_  say that”, Haruka hisses. “What if you wouldn’t have made it?”

“But you did, Haru.”

“I did, but maybe you  _wouldn’t_  have. What would I... what would’ve—"

His voice cuts short, and Haruka looks down at his hands in his lap, taking deep, ragged breaths. Sousuke puts a hand over Haruka’s. “Tachibana, don’t. Just... let’s be glad things went the way they did. Man, I can’t believe they looked in the wrong fucking journal. How disorganised can you  _get_?”

In the rear-view mirror, Sousuke sees that Makoto wants to say something else, but he ends up not saying whatever he wanted. Instead, he smiles a little, and his eyes narrow in what looks like relief. “You’re right. Sorry, Haru, Sousuke.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke starts the car and pulls out of the hospital’s car park, hoping he won’t have to be back anytime soon. It’s certainly been a very trying day, but it’s far from over, as Rin has yet to find out about what’s happened. He almost wants to leave it for another day, but knows he probably shouldn’t keep such an important thing from his best friend for too long.

For now, Sousuke’s just glad things turned out the way they were supposed to, with Haruka still in his life. They’ve been given a second chance, and it’s something Sousuke definitely doesn’t want to take for granted, vowing to himself that he’ll treasure for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted a poll on Tumblr prior to writing this with only the names (Sousuke & Haru), asking them to pick one. Well, the one with the most votes was the one who'd end up in the hospital. Ergo, Haru 'won', by one vote. Don't think you could call that much of a victory, though.


	57. MakoRin #20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Write a fic based on Tumblr user iskabee's[drawing](http://iskabee.tumblr.com/post/125326729750/hey-future-fish-%E3%83%8E-%E3%83%8E).**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Archive warnings and additional tags have been added as of this chapter.**

When the police brigade are called in to help with a fire, you know it’s bad. Really bad. Rin and Sousuke have only ever done it once before, having not too long ago finished his training with the fire police to aid them whenever they need help. And today is his and Sousuke’s second time helping them out.

Normally, Rin would probably just be nervous about this, seeing as he’s still not used to helping out in situations involving fire, but this time is different. Very different. The moment he heard the name of one of the involved fire-fighters, Rin’s nervousness instantly disappeared, and was instead replaced by a strange, mixed sense of fear and determination to not fail.

 _I won’t let Makoto die_.

He feels like his partner does a whole lot better than him in those situations, because Sousuke’s both more muscular built, and as a result is physically — and probably mentally — stronger. Rin’s always tried so hard to catch up to his best friend, but he still has quite a long way to go, especially on the emotional stage.

What’s good about working as a police officer is that in an emergency, you don’t have to heed any traffic rules, and people around you have to cater to  _your_  needs instead, no matter where you’re coming from or if it’s a red light. It works very well for him now, as he’s driving himself and Sousuke towards the site. There are a bunch of red lights, but since he’s got the police siren and light on, those don’t matter.

They arrive after only a few minutes of driving, and Rin nearly throws himself out of the car, hurriedly showing his badge to the police men already on site, forming a cordon. Rin almost wants to yell at them to go inside themselves, to not just stand around and waste time, but he knows they’re standing there for a reason other than to keep unauthorised people out; they probably haven’t had the training required.

Sousuke and Rin rush inside, and split up to cover more ground. Most of the fire’s already been put out, and it seems like they’ve got things in control. Even so, there are still people inside the building, and their job now is to find and get those people out of there.

He just hopes that one of them isn’t Makoto.

Rin navigates through fallen down beams and debris, lifting it to make sure there isn’t someone buried underneath. Both he and Sousuke yell out, checking if there’s someone in there to respond and let them know they’re still alive. As he lifts away debris and slowly makes his way inside, he hears someone calling his name, and his heart stops.

It’s Makoto. Makoto’s in here… he’s in here, but he’s alive. Rin feels his heart beat faster as he hurries to make his way over to the source of the voice.

“Oi, someone in here?!”

The sound of Sousuke’s voice so close to him makes Rin jump, and he turns to the side to see Sousuke coming towards him.

“Sousuke?!”

“Oh, good — you heard it, too?”

“I did. Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

The two of them continue making their way through the maze of fallen planks, beams and miscellaneous debris, and Rin convinces Sousuke to do the heavy lifting despite the other man’s protests. His shoulder may be fine, but Rin has seen the occasional grimace Sousuke has on his face when he stretches his right arm wrong or reaches for something slightly out of his reach.

“Makoto, you’re in here, aren’t you?!” Rin shouts, and Sousuke looks at him, wide-eyed.

“Tachibana?”

“I know I heard him, it wasn’t my imagi—”

“Rin… I’m here”, comes a voice not too far away from him, and Rin turns around. There’s an entire pile of by them previously unexplored rubble by one of the entryways. The metal door has large dents because of the heat and flames, and it’s one of these things that strikes Rin with just how fearful fire is. He wonders how the hell Makoto deals with it every day as a way of making a living, when it could ultimately spell his death.

Sousuke and Rin make it over to the rubble, and  they don’t have to remove too much of it before they see Makoto, hunched over a small girl. Rin’s heart aches in his chest upon seeing them both, and he releases a shaky sigh.

“Makoto… are you two okay?”

Makoto doesn’t turn his head up, because he probably can’t, given his position. He nods, though, and even  _laughs_  a little.

“Ami-chan, you have to go with the police officers now”, Makoto says to the little girl, his voice low and brittle. “You’ll be safe, I promise.”

“But what about you, Tachibana-san?!” she cries out, and Rin’s thinking the exact same thing. This is however not unexpected to come from Makoto, as he’s the very definition of selflessness. He’s always been one to put others needs and happiness above his own, to the point where it sometimes makes him have to sacrifice things.

“I’ll be fine, Ami-chan, I promise.”

Rin knows Makoto’s flat-out lying to that poor little girl, and it makes him so angry that he feels like crying and screaming out loud. He looks over at Sousuke for some support to try and convince Makoto to get out of there with them. He sees Sousuke’s eyebrows twitch into a frown for less than a second, and a hint of what almost looks like horror crosses his facial features.

Rin wonders what he’s thinking, wondering if he’s remembered something from his past... but what would that be? Rin obviously wasn’t with Sousuke during their entire childhood, as he’d spent a portion of it in Australia. To this day, Rin still feels bad about having missed out on such a big and changing event in Sousuke’s life, one that had him have to eventually give up on swimming.

Sousuke crouches down and reaches out his hands to the little girl, who looks up at him with insecurity in her eyes.

“It’s okay, I’m here to save you”, Sousuke says in a soothing voice. “You’ll be okay.”

“I want to be with Tachibana-san”, she says, but Sousuke just shakes his head in response, a look on his face of sadness mixed with bitterness. Rin still has no idea what caused this sudden change in Sousuke’s behaviour, but he doesn’t have the time to ask now.

 

* * *

 

With a little convincing, the girl lets herself be carefully extracted from beneath Makoto, and Sousuke helps Rin get the rubble off of the fire-fighter’s back before he leaves Rin to take care of Makoto himself, exiting the building with the little girl on his back.

Rin helps Makoto turn around, and when he does, he sees  _the thing_  sticking out of the side of Makoto’s abdomen, and he recoils with a sharp inhale. Makoto looks up at him and smiles weakly.

“I screwed up... big time”, he almost whispers. “Does it... does it look bad?”

There’s a wooden piece coming from what looks like a log sticking out of Makoto’s side, and it seems to be sitting rather deep, probably to the point where it would be detrimental, no —  _lethal —_ to Makoto.

“It looks fucking  _awful_ , Makoto”, Rin says. There’s no point in trying to tell white lies at this point. There’s no point in trying to sugar-coat things in a situation where Makoto’s probably already screwed out of salvation. He’s bleeding profusely from the side, and Rin guesses this has been going on for a while already, as Makoto seems to already be slightly out of it.

Makoto breathes shakily, frowning and letting out small sounds that signify he’s in great pain. Rin feels tears burn behind his eyelids, and he puts his hands over Makoto’s. He hates that all he can do is sit here and do nothing, because he obviously can’t carry Makoto out of there since moving him would only worsen things. All the brunet can do is lie there without moving to lessen the pain, but that still won’t guarantee him a second chance at life.

“I’m sorry, Rin”, Makoto whispers. “This wasn’t... how things were supposed to go.”

“Damn right it wasn’t!” Rin cries. “Makoto... why did you... why do you have to always be so  _selfless_?”

Makoto reaches a hand up to stroke Rin’s cheek, and he doesn’t even care that it’ll leave a streak of blood across his face, because this is probably the last moment he’ll ever have with his boyfriend. The last moment, when their lives together had barely just begun. Rin has had to witness countless of deaths in his line of work already, but the death he never, ever wanted to witness was the one of his own boyfriend.

"Is that a bad— bad thing?”

“No, it isn’t — and that’s what’s pissing me off! You’re far too good for people, for me, for this world... it’s not fair. I always wanted to tell you that I didn’t like you becoming a fire-fighter because of the risks, but I didn’t, because it seemed so important to you—”

“Rin, you’re not really one... to talk”, Makoto says and attempts to laugh, but it’s cut short and instead replaced by a hitch in his breath and another groan. “You’re a  _police officer_ , and that... doesn’t involve less risks than... fighting fires does for me.”

Well, he’s right, but that still doesn’t mean Rin can’t be worried about the well-being and safety of the most important person in his life. Why did they both have to go down such a dangerous path? Couldn’t they both have just continued swimming instead, to try and still live in the innocent dreams of their childhood?

Makoto’s hand falls to his side again, and he takes another deep, trembling breath. Rin can’t stop looking at the wooden piece sticking out of Makoto’s side, as it keeps reminding him that it’s the reason for why his boyfriend is in this state. The reason for Makoto—

“Rin?”

Rin looks at Makoto, and he doesn’t even notice he’s crying until Makoto reaches his hand up again to wipe tears off of his face. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“Don’t say that!” he spits out, panic bubbling up within him. “Don’t say that... like it’s the last time.”

“But it is.”

It is; Rin knows that very well, but he’s far too deep in denial that he’ll never admit it. Because if he did, it’d be like he’s accepting the fate his boyfriend is about to meet. He doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to give up, stop fighting, surrender.

Rin leans down and lifts up Makoto carefully into his arms. He feels the ragged breaths of his boyfriend, like a cruel countdown. “I love you, too, Makoto”, he whispers. “I’ve always loved you, and I always will. There’s no one like you.”

“There is, you just have... have to find them.”

“But I won’t! No one out there is as crazy about cats as you are, no one is as terrible at cooking, as patient and forgiving as you are! I don’t know what I’m... going to do without you, Makoto.”

Makoto strokes Rin’s back and lets his hand stay there, even though it’s trembling a little with the effort he has to make to have it stay put. The brunet starts feeling heavier and heavier on Rin, his muscles slowly giving in.

“Rin, this isn’t... the end. I’ll see you again, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep”, Rin says. “And I can make it happen sooner than you think.”

“Please don’t... do that for my sake. Live on for... the both of us. Please?”

Rin leans his forehead against Makoto’s, still sobbing, tears still streaming down his face. He wonders if they’ll ever stop. “Okay”, he says, and this time, he isn’t even sure he can keep such a promise. Would Makoto do the same, had their roles been reversed? He doesn’t know.

Makoto’s eyebrows furrow, and a tear falls down his face. Rin rarely ever sees Makoto cry, and to see it right now makes him feel like he’s dying with his boyfriend right then and there. He hears police sirens in the far distance, knowing they’ve finally come to help. The thing is, Rin knows they’ll be too late.

His boyfriend opens his mouth to say something, but ends up closing it again. Instead, he smiles, and he closes his eyes. As he does, his hand falls down from Rin’s back, and his entire body goes limp. Rin stares down at Makoto smiling up at him, and he looks... peaceful. Like he’s just sleeping.

But Rin knows he isn’t.

When it hits him, Rin screams. He screams, he cries, and as the fire brigade and fire police enter the building and try to separate him from Makoto, Rin refuses to let go. Because he knows that when he does, that will have been the last time he’s held Makoto in his arms.

The police officer finally managing to pry Rin’s arms off of Makoto has a firm but not too hard of a grip, and Rin doesn’t even have to look up behind him to know that it’s Sousuke. His partner takes him in his arms and prevents Rin from taking a last look at his boyfriend, prevents him from saying goodbye.

 

* * *

 

Rin doesn’t cry at the funeral two weeks later. He hasn’t spoken to Haru since it happened, and he doesn’t think he ever will again. He doesn’t dare look Haru in the eye, because he feels responsible for the death of not only his own boyfriend, but Haru’s best friend, too.

How do you even hope to deserve the forgiveness of a person whose best friend you pretty much just let die? Rin knows he’ll never be able to forgive himself for what he’s done, and he knows he isn’t alone in that — the Tachibana family must feel the same way. And honestly, he can’t blame them.


	58. MakoRin #21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Tumblr user[ryugazaki-rin](http://ryugazaki-rin.tumblr.com) sent me a message about my tags on [this](http://popnographic.tk/post/125113769458/izelyoniipopugai-i-dont-appreciate-the) post, and I just had to turn it into a fic.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something a _lot_ lighter after the angst-fest that was the previous prompt. I still can't believe I did that.

Makoto’s been in need of a new pair of headphones for a while, the cord to his old ones having broken. Haru keeps saying he’s not good with technology, and that technology seems to hate him for whatever reason.

And honestly, Makoto can only agree, because it sure does seem like things tend to break a lot more often in his care. Not that he’s not being careful with them or anything, but he always ends up breaking either his phone, headphones, and even the TV remote.

Okay, so maybe that time he hadn’t been too careful. But really, Nagisa’s the one to blame for having put on a scary film and forced him to watch it.

Makoto sighs to himself as he browses through the different kinds of in-ear headphones and outer headphones. The outer kind tend to make his ears hurt after not too extensive use, so those are out of the question, even if they _do_  look really cool. Most of them are really pricey, though, so maybe that’s for the best.

“Haru, what do you think of these?” he calls out as he picks out a pair of white ones that aren’t too expensive and still seem pretty good according to the description on the back. Again, he’s not good with technical stuff, but the specifications still seem rather impressive for the price.

But he doesn’t hear a response. And as he walks around the store, it becomes increasingly obvious that Haru’s left. The only question is where he’d go if he got so bored he couldn’t stand waiting for Makoto any longer. The brunet frowns to himself; he hasn’t been in here for  _that_  long.

He’s so preoccupied with trying to find his best friend that Makoto completely forgets about the alarm tag on the back of the still not paid for headphone package in his hands. So of course, when Makoto hurriedly makes his way out of the store, the alarm goes off, and it startles him.

“Oi, you there! Don’t tell me you just  _took_  something!”

Makoto turns around, and the red-headed police officer suddenly approaching him scares him even more than the alarm beeping loudly, so he decides to sprint into a run. Of all days that there’s a  _police officer_  in this store, Makoto had to be in there, too. This is just his luck, really.

People always tell you to trust your gut instinct, but Makoto’s pretty sure this case is an exception when he’s decided to run away from the police. Even so, he’s terrified of stopping, of getting arrested for accidentally stealing something. He  _was_  going to pay for the headphones, after all.

He rounds a corner, all thoughts about trying to Haru now gone from his head, and he runs down the street with the redhead chasing him and shouting at him to stop. With Makoto also clutching the headphone case to his chest, he really _does_  look like a criminal, he realises. But it’s too late to stop now, and all he can really do is run until his lungs and legs give out. He probably won’t get _too_  hard of a punishment just for a petty thing like this… right?

A tiny meowing sound stops Makoto dead in his tracks when the voice of the police officer has grown distant. Makoto prides himself in his stamina, still not being too out of breath despite having run quite the distance. He looks around for the source of said meowing, and soon enough, a little white kitten emerges from behind a dumpster.

“Oh no, what are you doing here all alone?” he says and slowly but carefully starts to approach it. The kitten seems apprehensive at first, looking like it’s going to run away, but it actually does walk towards Makoto. He stretches out a hand, and the kitten immediately starts to rub its head up against it, and Makoto gingerly scratches the cat behind its ears.

He’s always been good with cats, and they seem to take a liking to him pretty fast. Especially those cats who always stop by outside Haru’s house for food; he remembers the first time he met two of them a few years ago, and how quick they’d been to warm up to him. Even Haru had been impressed, unofficially dubbing him the ‘cat seducer’. Makoto’s still not sure he likes the nickname.

Footsteps are heard behind him, and Makoto immediately turns his head to see the police officer from before approach him. He’s out of breath, and it makes Makoto feel a little victorious, having actually managed to outrun a police officer and still not be in as bad shape as him when he stopped running.

“What kind of an idiot criminal stops to pet  _cats_?” the police officer snorts. Makoto’s eyes widen, and he feels insulted.

“I’m not a criminal”, he defends himself, but he’s still clinging onto the headphone case he just accidentally stole, so his claim immediately falls flat. Which the police officer seems to think, too, because he starts to laugh.

“Oh, really? Then why’d you steal those headphones?”

Makoto looks down at them and drops them to the ground as if they burnt him. “I didn’t— I didn’t mean to! I was looking for new headphones, and then I called for Haru to come and look at them, but he wasn’t around… so I was going out to look for him in case he’d jumped into a fountain again or something, and that’s when—”

“Wait”, the police officer interrupts and holds up a hand. “Far too much going on. First of all, what the hell is this about your friend jumping into fountains? Doesn’t he know that’s illegal? You two are like Bonnie and Clyde, aren’t you? Quite the criminal duo.”

Makoto frowns. “That’s a little exaggerated. We haven’t killed anyone.”

The redhead rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. Makoto can’t help but notice his muscular arms, and his heart beats faster.  _He’s really handsome, too_. “Details, details. Whatever, you’re coming with me back to the store to apologise and return those or pay for them, and then I’m bringing your ass into the station.”

The cat loses interest in Makoto, as his petting motions have stopped, and it disappears in behind the dumpster again. Makoto picks the headphone package again and bites his lower lip. “What about Haru?”

“I don’t know who this Haru is, but I don’t care about him. If you’re not coming with me willingly, I’m going to have to take you by force.”

“Okay, okay — I’m coming”, Makoto says, sighing in defeat. Haru is  _not_  going to be pleased.

 

* * *

 

An hour later, Makoto walks out of the interrogation he’s been put in with a sigh of relief. He’s cleared to leave, but he’s received a fine which he has to pay within the next few days, which is the less exciting part about finally getting to leave this scary place. Even so, he probably could’ve ended up in a cell overnight, judging by the terrifying look on the redhead during that entire time of the two of them being in that interrogation room.

“Be glad they didn’t ban you from the store”, the police officer says to him as he’s about to leave. Makoto laughs nervously.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry, it absolutely wasn’t my intention to cause all this trouble.”

“Whatever”, the man says and shrugs. “I’m not the one in need of an apology. But really, you sure are an interesting guy. Stopping to pet cats even though you’re chased by a police officer. You’ve got guts.”

Makoto flinches. “That’s not it! I just… I really like cats”, he says in a tiny voice, and officer Matsuoka laughs again.

"So I’ve noticed. Well, get out of my face already — and don’t give me a reason to bring you back here again.”

“I won’t”, Makoto says.

He still hopes he’ll see the redhead again, though, but… maybe under different, more legal circumstances.


	59. MakoRin #22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto and Rin take Satsuki to the park for the first time, and Rin is super protective not wanting her to do anything because he deems it too dangerous. But because Makoto has two very active siblings, he’s prepared for their daughter's first scraped knee in the future. Rin clearly isn't, so Makoto attempts to ease Rin’s worries.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Satsuki pulls on his hand, wanting Rin to keep walking forward, but he’s suddenly become hesitant about this whole thing. Sure, it’s perfectly normal for children to play in the park, to run around and do things that children  _should_  do, but he still can’t help but be paranoid. What if Satsuki gets hurt?

He’s not ready for such a scenario. She’s still so young, and the thought of having to hear and see his daughter sad after her having fallen and hurt herself makes Rin’s heart ache in his chest. It was tough enough on him when Gou was sad, and he had to be the supportive older brother despite feeling sorry for her and wanting to get revenge on her behalf.

But this is Rin’s  _daughter_ , he’s an adult now, and obviously can’t just go hunting children down for hurting her, even if it’s on purpose. And what’s he supposed to when she gets hurt from just being clumsy?

“Rin, are you okay?” Makoto asks by his side, and Rin flinches. He looks down at Satsuki, who’s still itching to run over to the swing set, and he shakes his head.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.”

“Daddy, I want to sit on the swing!” Satsuki says and once again tries to pull him towards it. But Rin stays put, unwilling to put his daughter at risk of getting herself hurt.

“Are you scared she’ll hurt herself?”

As expected from the mind-reader that is his husband, Makoto hits the nail on the head when it comes to Rin’s worries. He sighs.

“What if she does?”

“Then we’ll comfort her, take her home and put a band-aid where she hurt herself. Do you think she’d get  _badly_  hurt? Is that why you’re worried?”

Rin frowns. “I just don’t want to be the reason as to why she’s gotten herself hurt.”

Because god knows he’s done that to far too many people he loves and cares for in his past, he definitely doesn’t need to give his own daughter the same treatment. Even though he’s never  _physically_  hurt anyone, emotional pain is just as bad, really.

Makoto sighs and squeezes Rin’s hand a little tighter. Satsuki’s stopped fighting against Rin, and now she just stands and looks longingly at the swing, which makes Rin feel even worse about what he’s doing and why he’s worrying so much.

“Rin, we’re both here with her. She just wants to sit on the swing. And when she does want to get up in the climbing frame, we’re right down there to watch her if anything happens.”

“I know, but I just… paranoid, I guess.”

“That’s normal… I think”, Makoto says with a laugh. “But please trust me? I have siblings, and I’ve seen them get hurt, hit their heads on things, scrape their knees… but it’s nothing that won’t blow over. I think that’s part of what being a child means. Getting hurt and dealing with the pain. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, but… you know—”

“I know, I know”, Rin interrupts. “Right, Satsuki, let’s go. I’ll push you from behind, okay?”

“Yeah!”

 

* * *

 

Even though Rin’s more than just a little apprehensive at first, he gradually relaxes as he pushes his daughter’s back whenever the swing comes down towards him. It isn’t dangerous, he’s just been overly paranoid, and Makoto’s even standing right next to him.

“See, this isn’t dangerous”, his husband says, and Rin frowns a little.

“Not  _yet_. You know something’s going to happen, she’s still young.”

“Yes, I know that — but it’s normal. And it’ll only make her a stronger person in the end. And I want her to be strong, just like you.”

Rin turns to face Makoto, who beams at him, and he immediately feels a blush bloom into his cheeks. “You’re one to talk, being the stronger one of us, both mentally and physically. It’s unfair.”

Makoto laughs.

He still doesn’t know what he’s going to do whenever Satsuki  _does_  get hurt, but maybe Rin will just have to cross that bridge when he gets to it. It’s funny how his mind has changed to that in the past few years, having originally been stuck with the mindset that he’d burn the bridge when he eventually got to it. And it only comes from experience, too, which is why it feels weird to think differently now.

“Did you have fun today?” Makoto asks his daughter, whom he’s giving a piggy-back ride back to the house. She nods fervently and smiles big, a smile that absolutely melts Rin’s heart.

“I did! Let’s go tomorrow again!”

“You have to go to kindergarten for the first time tomorrow, Satsuki”, Rin reminds her. “You’ll get to play a lot there, too, I promise.”

Satsuki still doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer, and she pouts, which makes Rin laugh.

“It’ll be fine. You’ll meet lots of new friends and you’ll get to play all day.”

“But you and Papa won’t be there.”

Rin’s chest tightens a little, and he feels slightly guilty over the fact that he and Makoto will no longer be with her all day from now on. At the same time, he figures he’ll eventually just find it a good thing — not because he doesn’t enjoy spending time with Satsuki, but because it could do good for their relationship, between all three of them.

“I know, I’m sorry. But Papa’s going to pick you up right after work, okay? And then I’ll see you at dinner.”

Satsuki’s pout gradually disappears, and she nods again. “Okay.”

They still have a lot to learn and discover, and while it might be a little intimidating, Rin feels like it’s also exciting. Having Makoto by his side through all of this is an immense relief. Makoto is his steady rock to lean on, his shoulder to cry on — which, embarrassingly enough, he still does a lot — and his partner through life.

“I hope I helped to ease your worries a little”, Makoto whispers in the darkness of their room that night. Rin huffs and pulls the duvet up further.

“I guess you did. I’m not really surprised, though, and that kinda pisses me off.”

Makoto laughs a little and scoots close to kiss his husband. “Sorry.”

“’S fine. Let’s just sleep.”

“Okay.”

He’s secretly happy that Makoto’s able to calm him down this easily, though, but of course — that’s not something he’ll let Makoto know, because the brunet will never  _ever_  let him live that one down.


	60. SouHaru #20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Continuation of the[karaoke prompt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/10090619) where Sousuke actually sings. When they come back home, Haru wants Sousuke to sing him a lullaby. Sousuke thinks it's just the alcohol talking, but when he does sing, he sees Haru's fallen asleep while he's sung.**
> 
> Asked by: [suosuke](http://suosuke.tumblr.com).

Everyone’s sitting in stunned silence after Haru’s sung, and he slumps down onto the couch with a pout before leaning against Sousuke’s shoulder. “Stop acting so weird”, he mutters.

“That was… that was amazing, Haruka”, Sousuke almost whispers, still somewhat speechless. “You’ve got an amazing voice.”

Haruka rolls his eyes and huffs. “I know you do, too. So sing. Please?”

“Yeah, Sousuke — get your ass up there and sing for us. For  _Haru_ ”, Rin teases, and Sousuke flips him off.

Sousuke doesn’t dance, and he definitely doesn’t sing. Exhibitionism has never been something he’s ever dreamt of trying, and even though it’s just the four of them in there, he feels like he’d have to give them all amnesia after this somehow, if he  _did_  sing.

Haru nuzzles his head against Sousuke’s shoulder and looks up at him with what Sousuke would almost call puppy eyes. Those dangerously blue eyes that Sousuke feels like he could drown in if he’s not being careful enough are staring straight up at him, and there’s a pleading look in them that he can rarely ever refuse.

“Haruka…” he says, and his boyfriend sits up a little better to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Before he pulls away, Haru mumbles into his ear. “I’ll bottom for two weeks straight if you sing.”

Sousuke freezes. He does enjoy being on top, that’s true, and while bottoming has its advantages… No, this is just too cruel. There’s no way he can turn down such an offer just if he were to sing for three and a half minutes.

“Alright, fine!” he says exasperatedly.

“Whoa, Haru — what’d you say to make him finally agree to it?”

“I just—  _mmph_!”

Sousuke manages to cover Haru’s mouth before his boyfriend decides to spill everything, and Rin just sends him a knowing grin. “Something dirty, then. Alright, fine — I probably don’t wanna hear about it, anyway. So? Get up there.”

And so he does, finally, with a sigh and a glare back at the traitors he’s suppose to call his friends. On slightly unsteady feet, Sousuke walks over to the table and uses the remote to scroll through the seemingly endless list of songs, and for the most part, he has a frown and a look of disgust on his face.

“These songs are all so fucking  _cheesy_ ”, he complains. “I’m tempted to do OLDCODEX, too — at least their music is close to what I listen to.”

“No, that’s cheating!” Rin exclaims. “Makoto already sang a song by them. You have to pick another artist or group, otherwise it’s boring.”

Sousuke clicks his tongue without bothering to turn around, and he continues scrolling through the list until he finds “ _Hajimari wa Ecstasy_ ”. It’s a song he knows to some extent, but isn’t too fond of since it isn’t exactly his cup of tea. At least it’s somewhat short, and short songs are good since he wants to get out of this as quickly and pain-free as possible.

He ignores the comments from Rin behind him as he takes a deep breath and presses the play button. Haru’s view and opinion of him will certainly change after this, and Sousuke has a feeling it won’t be positive. All this just for a goddamn song.

Since he’s got his back turned to the others as he sings, he doesn’t know what their faces look like, and he doesn’t hear what they might be whispering to each other. It isn’t as if he’s purposely trying to sing out of tune or with an exaggerated voice —  _Haru_ ’s listening! — but he still doesn’t have a clue as to what the others are going to make of his so-called performance.

So when he’s done, Sousuke puts the microphone down on the table, and he almost doesn’t dare turning around, but knows he has to or he’ll never be able to leave this godforsaken place that he never wants to return to. And when he does turn around, Rin has tears in his eyes, Makoto’s looking at him with a slightly dropped jaw.

“See, I knew you could sing”, Haruka says, his voice sounding almost  _dreamy_ , but Sousuke knows it’s probably because of the alcohol he’s had. And he’s had quite a lot of it. Sousuke sits down without looking at his boyfriend, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I... well— thanks... I guess”, he mumbles. “Can we go now? I’m fucking mortified, and people outside can probably hear, too.”

“Nah, these rooms are—” Rin begins before he interrupts to sniffle and wipe his nose with the back of his hand, “—soundproof. But Sousuke...  _Sousuke_ , that was beautiful. You should sing more often.”

“Hell no”, Sousuke snorts and gets up again. He reaches out a hand to Haruka, who looks at it like he’s just given him a foreign object. “Let’s go home. You’re drunk and should probably get some sleep, too.”

“One more song?” Haruka pleads, and this time, Sousuke forcefully pulls his boyfriend up from the couch.

“No, we’re leaving. Makoto, Rin, it’s been fun — but I never,  _ever_  want to do this again.”

 

* * *

 

Haruka gets very clingy and baby-like when he’s drunk, Sousuke realises. Having had to give his boyfriend a piggyback-ride all the way home and then undress him when they’d finally arrived inside their apartment, Sousuke honestly feels like he’s taking care of a much younger brother or even his own child.

“Oi, koala, let go of my neck already”, Sousuke says as he puts Haruka down in their bed, the other man still clinging stubbornly to him. Haruka begins to slowly plant kisses along his neck, and Sousuke stiffens. “Ha-Haruka, not... not now.”

“Sousuke?”

"Yeah."

“Sing for me again.”

Sousuke furrows his eyebrows, but then he snorts out a laugh. “No, I’m never singing again. Why, did you... did you  _like_  it?”

Haru nods and hums, closing his eyes. “I did. Sing me a lullaby.”

Baffled, Sousuke sits down on his side of the bed to get himself undressed. No, Haru’s probably just drunk-talking; he’ll feel different about Sousuke’s singing voice come the next day.

... But what if he won’t?

“You sure?” he asks, only half turning his head around to see Haru in the corner of his eye. And again, Haru nods. He looks absolutely beautiful in the dim light of the moon coming in through the window, his hair almost looking dark blue against the white pillow beneath his head.

Sousuke sighs, giving in. He only has one song in mind he could call a lullaby, and it’s a song he heard so many years ago, but somehow still remember the lyrics to, called “ _The requiem of the wind_ ”. Lying down next to Haruka, Sousuke supports his elbow on the mattress and rests his chin in the palm of his hand. “Don’t blame me if you regret it.”

"I won’t. Regret it, I mean”, Haru says.

And Sousuke will just have to trust his boyfriend’s words.

So he begins to sing, voice low and gentle, and he watches Haruka flutter his eyes shut, a soft smile gracing his lips. It’s a sight Sousuke knows he’ll never, ever forget, and to think that all it took for him to see it was to sing... he wishes he would’ve sung to his boyfriend a lot sooner. Even so, he’s probably not going to do it again.

Well,  _probably_.

" _The winds sweep away souls_  
_And people snatch away hearts._  
_Nevertheless, I shall remain in this place_  
_and continue singing._  
_Please, somehow,_  
_send my song to where it must reach._  
_Please, somehow,_  
_receive and accept this song of mine._ ”

Before Sousuke’s even able to finish the song, he notices Haruka’s fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, Sousuke strokes away a strand of hair from Haru’s face, and he leans down to kiss his forehead before lying down and trying to get some sleep as well.

Okay, so maybe singing isn’t  _too_  bad, he finds. He just doesn’t want to sing to anyone other than Haru from now on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SONGS USED:**
> 
> [Hajimari wa ecstasy - Prince of Tennis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoGqb3ummzY)   
>  [Kaze no requiem - No.6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JEHt0oRyY8)
> 
> Both sung by Hosoya Yoshimasa, of course.


	61. SouHaru #21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru's scared of thunder, and Sousuke comforts him.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

When the first lightning struck, Sousuke barely even looked out the window. At the second one, he decided it was probably a good idea to turn off the lights and unplug their electronic appliances. He’s never really been scared of lightning — as a child, he found it exciting and fun to hear the roaring thunder outside. Both he and Rin used to be the same, but they had to comfort Gou, who was terrified of it.

As Sousuke walks through the apartment and pulls the plug on various things, he notices how Haru’s drawn his knees up under his chin on the couch, and he’s pulled the blanket almost all the way over his head. He doesn’t think much of it until he sits down next to Haru on the couch, and when thunder roars outside again, Haru flinches.

“Scared?” Sousuke asks. It isn’t to tease Haru, or to make fun of him, he’s just asking, really. Being scared of thunder is natural; after all, the powers of said phenomena can be quite ferocious. Especially when you’re out there and don’t have a safe place to hide. Not that Sousuke’s been in that situation before, but it might still happen one day.

Haru glares up at him. “I’m not scared. It’s normal to jump when you hear loud noises.”

“I suppose so”, Sousuke replies, and silence falls again. Obviously, they can’t turn on the TV in front of them, so all they can do is sit in the silence of the room and make the best of the situation. Which Sousuke doesn’t mind; he really likes just sitting with Haruka and not have to do much. It’s one of the things he really likes about their relationship — the fact that they don’t have to do much to be able to enjoy each other’s company.

A lightning flashes outside their window again, and Sousuke watches Haruka’s eyes dart to the window. He counts the seconds until the thunder roars again, and when it does, Haruka recoils, and his entire body tenses up, shoulders slightly hunched. He’s fidgeting with a corner of the blanket, and Sousuke guesses it’s just his way of distracting himself.

Sousuke sighs inwardly. Haru’s never been one to voice his worries out loud, so for the most part, Sousuke has to figure them out on his own, or in some cases even have to ask Makoto for help or guidance, since the brunet knows Haru better than anyone else. He’s kind of jealous of Makoto in that regard, with him being Haru’s boyfriend and all — but maybe he’ll get better at reading his boyfriend in time, too.

Scooting closer to his boyfriend, Sousuke puts his arm around Haru’s shoulders and pulls him close. Haru starts squirming about like a cat, and looks up at Sousuke again.

“What?”

“Nothing. Relax, sit still.”

He doesn’t want to say it, because he knows Haru’s just going to flat-out deny him being scared of thunder, so Sousuke just plays it off like it’s him wanting to just cuddle. Which in itself isn’t wrong, of course. It somehow makes him feel like Haru’s safer in his arms than if he wasn’t there. Like he belongs there.

As Haru’s finally stopped fighting it, he leans into Sousuke’s embrace and lets out a sigh. Sousuke runs his fingers through Haru’s hair, and unconsciously starts to hum a melody he’d heard a lot when he was young. Probably his mother singing that song to him, but he doesn’t remember the lyrics.

When he catches himself doing it, he almost wants to stop, but he notices how Haru’s closed his eyes and almost looks like he’s sleeping. Even though there’s been at least one more lightning strike and thunder roaring outside since the last one. So he continues for a bit, and soon enough, the weather finally lets up.

Haruka’s long since fallen asleep by then, and Sousuke carefully lifts his boyfriend into his arms to carry him into their bedroom. He figures it’s probably fine that Haru hasn’t brushed his teeth or anything — it’s a one time occurrence, and Sousuke doesn’t want to wake him up for such a small thing. Usually, Haru’s a pretty light sleeper, but Sousuke still manages to carry him into their bedroom and lay him down in bed without his boyfriend waking up.

Having gotten himself ready for bed, Sousuke crawls in under the duvet, and sighs. He hopes tomorrow will be much better, at least in terms of weather, because he quickly grows agitated and restless when all he can do is sit inside. He leans over to kiss Haru on the forehead, and then lies down. There’s still a lot he’s got to learn about Haru, but it’s a good thing to know they have all the time in the world for that.


	62. MakoRin #23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto and Rin realise they don't say "I love you" as much anymore (probably with life being in the way or something) and only notice it after a really tough setback.**
> 
> Asked by: [starlit93supernova](http://starlit93supernova.tumblr.com).

When clock strikes seven in the morning, Rin kisses Makoto on the cheek, the two wish each other a good day at work, and then he’s out the door until ten in the evening, Makoto leaving not too long after him, and arriving at home even later. It’s a routine they’ve had for as long as they can remember, but it’s also somewhat of a staple in their otherwise constantly changing lives.

This is pretty much as often as they get to see each other, unless there’s a rare exception where they’re off work, and on Sundays, which is the day they make the most out of spending time together. And maybe this is to be expected, when you’re a police officer dating a fire-fighter, both having high-tempo jobs that require you to be available at all times.

Despite not really being able to help it, they both feel bad about it. Makoto keeps making vows to himself that he’ll make things better and try to spend more time with Rin, but such an opportunity is rarely ever presented to him in the first place.

It’s especially bad with Makoto being paranoid, and always wondering if that morning was the last time he ever saw Rin. That would make his last words to him “have a good day”. What even  _is_  that? It’s so mundane, so ordinary, and it doesn’t even convey the strong feelings Makoto still has for his husband. Haru thinks it’s a miracle they still manage to stay married to each other despite everything, but to Makoto, it’s a given.

Maybe that’s it. Is he taking their marriage for granted? No, Makoto doesn’t think he is. He feels like he  _is_  valuing it, every moment they have together, getting to fall asleep and wake up next to Rin every day. So why does it have to be so difficult? Maybe it’s just because their jobs are clashing so badly, with the schedules and everything that comes with it.

With Rin sometimes having to go from dinner because he’s gotten a call and needs to step right back into work, and Makoto sometimes being called into work after only having slept for three hours, accidentally waking Rin in the process. It’s definitely a trial, but Makoto wants to make sure they make it work somehow. They have so far, so why would it suddenly fall apart?

On a particularly lazy afternoon — on his end, of course — Makoto spends some time at Haru’s pastry shop. He doesn’t even realise he’s whining until Haru calls him out about it, rolling his eyes.

“You agreed to this when you married him. It’s a binding contract, you’re stuck with it unless you want to break things off.”

Makoto flinches, nearly spilling his scalding tea all over himself. “That’s— Haru, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think? I would never leave Rin, I love him.”

“Do you think he knows it?”

That question throws him back a little, and Makoto stares at his best friend in disbelief. “Of course he does.”

But it slowly creeps up on him that he hasn’t said it in a while — and to be honest, Rin hasn’t, either. And he doesn’t think it’s a matter of them not loving each other anymore, because Makoto definitely feels it, but it’s more an issue where they haven’t verbally expressed it in a while. You can argue that actions speak louder than words, but sometimes it’s just nice to hear it spoken out, too.

Haru hums in response, and he doesn’t sound too convinced at Makoto’s answer. Makoto realises he isn’t too convinced by his own words, either, but he doesn’t say it. Haru is almost always right, and he definitely doesn’t need another reminder that he is.

 

* * *

 

Rin hides behind a container, gun held up right by him in defence and preparation for when he’s eventually going to need it. He listens to the bullets that hit the hard metal of the container he’s hiding behind, and he almost wants to laugh. Idiot probably doesn’t realise his bullets won’t reach Rin before their backup reaches the criminal shooting at him.

He probably won’t have enough bullets to last him that long, either, but that wouldn’t really matter to Rin since Sousuke’s nearby, too. Either way, they’ve successfully managed to corner the guy who just tried to rob a bank and then fled into an abandoned warehouse building. Another job well done.

“Just give it up”, Rin yells. “You’re not going to win this. Keep shooting, and you’ll run out of bullets. Run, and you’ll get shot and your ass taken to the station.”

“And if you surrender, you’ll get to come along  _without_  being shot”, Sousuke offers from the other side of the warehouse. The guy laughs.

“I’ll die before I give up.”

“Oh, is that how we’re gonna play”, Sousuke hums in amusement, and Rin almost thinks for a second that Sousuke’s going to give him that option freely. But there are still no shots heard, and then he hears a gun drop, the unmistakable metallic clang as it hits the floor. That’s when he makes his move.

That’s what he shouldn’t have done.

The last thing he hears is Sousuke yelling his name, a gunshot, and then things go black before his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Makoto’s nails are digging into his palms. The skin is sore beneath his eyes, and his nose is almost completely stuffed. He sniffles every now and then to try and get his nasal breathing working again, but it won’t work. He’s frustrated even by such a minor thing as this, but he doesn’t say it. It’s probably pretty obvious from the way he’s acting, anyway.

The thing about Makoto is that he doesn’t cry. As Sousuke had once put it, Rin cries enough for the both of them, and it was something Makoto always laughed at. He doesn’t prioritise his own tears very high; the well-being and happiness of the people he cares about always comes first. Sometimes he’s been seen as the opposite of what people know him for — emotionally cold. All because he doesn’t cry.

But today, Makoto’s cried a lot. He’s cried in front of Haru, even Sousuke — and he hasn’t been able to help it. But it’s probably acceptable, since he doesn’t know whether or not he’ll be a widower after this experience or not. He has no idea how he’d handle life without Rin after so long. In addition to what Haru told him earlier, this is also something they’d both known they’d have to deal with when getting married and joining their lives together. Of course, the same goes for Rin with Makoto, since Makoto throws himself into dangerous situations every day, too. Maybe just with less gunshots and a little more fire and flames.

_Gunshots_. Makoto winces, and he twists his wedding ring between his right thumb and index finger, staring at the heart-monitor and its lines steadily going up and down in waveforms. He still doesn’t know the details of what happened, and he hasn’t felt like asking Sousuke just yet. He can’t help but worry about Haru and Sousuke sitting out in the waiting room together, and hopes the two of them can be civil for once, and not start arguing. If only those two would start getting along sometime soon.

Makoto places a hand over Rin’s, and he runs his thumb over Rin’s wedding ring. He has no idea how long he’s been sitting in there; it could be an hour, it could be several. He’s glad his boss had been so lenient on him and leave the station earlier, relieving him of any duties that day. They won’t really be short on people, either, so they probably won’t need his help should an incident happen.

The thought of changing his career has crossed Makoto’s mind several times during the time he’s been with Rin. Not that he doesn’t enjoy it, he really does — despite the risks that come with it. He just wonders if maybe he should’ve picked something else so he could have a chance at seeing Rin more often than just briefly before bed and in the morning, and then on Sundays.

When Makoto’s about to leave since visiting hours are almost over, there’s suddenly a slight twitch in Rin’s pinky finger, and Makoto thinks he’s just hallucinating, but then there it is again. He looks at Rin’s pale face, and soon enough, his dream comes true and Rin opens his eyes again, albeit slowly and blearily.

“Oh my god”, Makoto whispers. “Rin…?”

The redhead police officer looks up at him and blinks a few times, squinting at the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital room. When he seems to have gotten somewhat of a hold of his current situation, he shoots his husband a grin.

“Hey.”

“Are you… are you okay?”

“Splendid. You look like a wreck.”

Makoto laughs, hiccups, dries the still damp tears off of his face. “Thanks.”

“What about work?” Rin asks, and looks at the wall behind Makoto, probably at the clock.

“It was fine. What... what happened? To you, I mean.”

Rin shrugs and sits up in bed, grimacing a little in doing so. He seems to be somewhat okay, though, which is a relief to Makoto. “There was a guy who kept shooting at me as I was hiding, and then I thought I heard him drop the gun. Well, technically, he  _had_ — he just had another one hidden. Bastard, I should’ve known.”

“What about the... well, your injury?” Makoto asks, knowing very well he’s not going to be spared any details now. Of  _course_  it’s going to be serious, and bloody, and everything that Makoto can’t handle.

“Well, it wasn’t as bad as they originally feared, I actually just passed out because I hit my head on the ground. They were able to extract the bullet pretty easily, and even though there was some blood-loss—” Rin snorts when Makoto cringes and whines at the imagery involuntarily entering his brain, “—but I’m pretty much okay now.”

He finishes with a laugh, but Makoto still doesn’t find it funny. He squeezes Rin’s hand a little tighter, brings it to his lips and kisses each knuckle.

“Oi, Makoto, I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“I know.” He doesn’t say everything he wants to, and instead swallows the rest. “I love you, Rin.”

Rin looks at him in confusion, raising his eyebrows. Then he grins again. “I love you, too, Makoto. Always have, always will.”

Makoto smiles. It feels good to say it again, but most importantly, it feels good to hear Rin say it. He doesn’t remember the last time they said it to each other, and he wants that to change.

Even though actions  _do_  speak louder than words, a little verbal reminder every now and then certainly couldn’t hurt. Especially when you don’t know how long you have left with the one you love, and you want to make each day as good as possible with them.


	63. SouHaru #22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Canon divergence: Haru feels depressed after his fight with Makoto, and Sousuke comforts him.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

_Makoto’s grip on Haru’s wrist is tight, tight enough to leave a mark, but that’s the last thing on Haruka’s mind right now. His heart’s beating loudly in his ears, his breathing heavy, and his body trembling with anger. After all these years, this is how Makoto treats him? Like a test subject?_

_“A dream? A future? Then what about you? You keep lecturing me about finding my own dream — but you haven’t even found yours. So? Say something.”_

_Makoto relaxes his shoulders, releases his grip on Haru’s wrist, finally. Haru looks at his wrist, as if the absence of Makoto’s fingers around it should be considered strange. Maybe this is symbolic. After all these years of having been tethered together, maybe this is Makoto finally letting go. Releasing Haru, or releasing himself._

_“I have”, Makoto finally says, a mere whisper on his lips that could easily have been lost in the wind tousling their hair as it gently blows. The slight crease between Makoto’s eyebrows, the look in his eyes, and his posture, tells Haru he isn’t going to like what he’s about to hear. “I’m going to university in Tokyo.”  
_

_The fireworks explode above them, illuminating the sky, and colouring it in all the colours of the rainbow. Haru sees it all reflected in Makoto’s eyes, and he can’t believe this is happening._

_“I thought about telling you, but—”  
_

_“Do whatever you want!” Haru yells, interrupting Makoto, as he clenches his fists, turns around and runs away. He doesn’t turn back, doesn’t even think about doing so. There’s nothing there for him anymore, nothing to return to when all he had is now lost_. 

 

* * *

 

Having drifted off into an uneasy, light sleep sometime in the early morning, Haruka is woken up by the persistent ringing of his doorbell. He hugs the comforter closer to himself as the pains in his stomach remind themselves of their presence once again, and he pulls his knees up to his chest. He doesn’t want to see anyone right now, so whoever’s at his door most definitely won’t be an exception.

They’re stubborn, that’s for sure, and Haru finds himself soon enough being driven up the wall by the shrill sound of the doorbell, and he unwillingly crawls out of bed with a complaining groan. His body feels heavy, and a quick glance in the hallway mirror tells him he looks the way he feels. Like he’s been run over by a truck.

When he opens the door, he suddenly stands face to face with Sousuke. And despite everything, Sousuke is someone Haru  _can_  stand seeing right now. He lets out a shaky sigh. “Sousuke.”

“Haruka... are you... have you even  _slept_?”

Has he? Haru doesn’t even know the answer to that himself. He feels like he’s just kept his eyes shut for god kows how long, because neither his body or mind feels rested.

“Why are you here so early in the morning to begin with?” Haruka asks instead, and he receives an incredulous look in response.

“’Early’? Do you even know what time it is?” Haru doesn’t respond, and Sousuke sighs before stepping forward. “I’m coming in. We need to talk, and you’re not really doing anything useful, anyway.”

He wants to protest, but he also doesn’t. He could use some company right now, some company that isn’t named Rin or Makoto. Honestly, he’s not so sure he’d be able to hang out with Nagisa or Rei, either.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke walks inside and takes his shoes off while Haru stands in the hallway awkwardly, shuffling his weight from one foot to another, and then back again. A few seconds later, the two of them walk into the living room, and Haru sits down on his usual pillow, Sousuke sitting next to him. Almost too close, but he doesn’t bother saying anything.

“So... I heard from Rin about last night. Tachibana was pretty fucked up about it, and he wants to apologise.”

“I don’t want his apologies. He won’t mean them”, Haru says, frowning and looking down at his knees.

“How do you know that?”

“You weren’t there.”

 _You didn’t see the look in his eyes when he dropped that bomb on me_. Haru can’t help but think. Rin probably knew before he found out, too. Of course he would, because apparently, Makoto finds it a lot easier to talk to anyone who isn’t Haru. Hell, Haru wouldn’t be surprised if Nagisa and Rei know, too. Childhood best friends? Suddenly, Haru has no idea what that even means anymore.

“I wasn’t”, Sousuke agrees, “but you still can’t just jump to conclusions like that. I don’t think Tachibana would lie to you like that. I mean, I don’t  _know_  him, but he seems like he wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”

He wouldn’t, but Haru doesn’t say it. He’s still hurt, because Makoto wouldn’t dare telling him such an important thing like this. Is it because they’re so close that Makoto didn’t have the courage to do so? Because he knew exactly how Haru would react?

“Listen, Haruka, I... I think I know how he felt. About telling you a big thing like this, I mean. I was kinda the same with Rin. I only recently told him about my shoulder, and this has been going on for years.”

“I know”, Haru replies, and Sousuke gives him a surprised look.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I was there. I was hiding behind the vending machine. Didn’t want to leave, because you’d hear me if I did. Sorry.”

Sousuke shrugs, sighing. “’S fine, you knew about it, anyway. You did before Rin did, and no offence — but he should’ve known before anyone else. Before his own  _sister_ , even. So yeah, I know how he feels. And I bet Rin knows how  _you_  feel right now. Maybe you should be talking to him instead.”

Haru’s hand instinctively shoots out and grabs Sousuke’s sleeve. “Don’t go.”

 _I don’t want to be alone_.

“I won’t. I know you don’t wanna talk to him right now.”

Holding Sousuke’s sleeve like this reminds him of the previous night, when Makoto had held his wrist, kept him from leaving. He flinches and releases Sousuke as if he’d just been burnt, and of course, Sousuke looks at him oddly.

“You okay?”

Haru chews on his lower lip again, and he averts his gaze. Sousuke sighs, and he puts both of his arms around the other to pull Haruka towards him. Haruka squirms a bit, but when he realises Sousuke isn’t going to let go, he relaxes and lets his head rest in the crook of Sousuke’s neck. He exhales slowly.

“That was... my first fight. With Makoto.”

Sousuke laughs a little. “Congratulations; Rin and I fight and bicker all the time. You saw it the other day, didn’t you? It’s normal, Haruka, don’t freak out about it. If you just get your head out of your ass and apologise to him, everything’ll go back to normal again. It’ll take a day, and then you’re back to the way things were.”

Haruka doesn’t think it’ll be that easy, but he knows he’ll at least have to apologise to Makoto, of course. He’d overreacted last night, sure — but he still feels like Makoto hadn’t been completely entitled  to the things he said, either.

“Do you think I need to have a dream, too?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Makoto thinks I need to have a dream, that I should work hard to try and find it. But doesn’t that... kind of defeat the purpose?”

Sousuke hums. “It does. It’s something that’s just supposed to come to you, really. You can’t really force yourself to find a dream, you’ll just end up a miserable mess that way.”

 _Thought so_ , Haru thinks. Like he’d told Makoto yesterday, he  _is_  perfectly fine with things the way they are. He doesn’t want to have to care about times and results, about whether or not he ends up on the podium with a medal around his neck or not. He wants to be  _free_ , and having to be trapped in a competitive environment like that certainly doesn’t sound liberating to Haru at all.

“Just tell him that. Have a civil conversation, don’t be like me and Rin.”

Haru actually  _laughs_ , and he fidgets with the string on his sweatpants. “We kind of were like you and Rin yesterday, I guess. I’ll try, though. I know Makoto doesn’t do well with confrontations, but... I don’t want to lose him.”

“You're not really one to talk, having run away from your first fight with your best friend. But no, you won’t lose him over something like this”, Sousuke assures him. “It’ll be fine. I can practice some lines with you in case you’re unsure of what to say.”

Haruka punches Sousuke lightly in the stomach. “Don’t be cocky.”

“Sorry”, Sousuke replies sarcastically, before he kisses Haru on top of his head. “Feel a little better?”

“I do. Thanks.”

“Sure. I’d say ‘anytime’, but really... I hope this doesn’t have to happen when you’ve talked to Tachibana again.”

Haru snorts. “Glad to know you’re here for me.”

“Always.”

Before Haruka knows it, he’s ended up falling asleep right there in Sousuke’s arms by his kotatsu. And when he wakes up again, Sousuke’s right there with him, lying on the other side of his bed, and flipping through a book he probably isn’t particularly interested in.

For once, he’s glad that someone woke him up and made him answer the door, and that said someone was Sousuke. 


	64. SouHaru #23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Barely friends, Sousuke and Haruka engage in a game of gay chicken, and get a little too carried away.**
> 
> Asked by: [secretwerewolfexpert](http://secretwerewolfexpert.tumblr.com).

Why the hell he’s hanging out with  _Nanase_  out of all people, Sousuke still doesn’t know. Well, they’d said that they would try and be a little more friendly with each other, now that everything had been worked out, they were older, and issues from the past didn’t seem as heated anymore. To be honest, they’d made those promises mainly to Makoto and Rin, just to get them off of their cases.

But whatever this stupid game is that they’ve somehow dared each other into is far beyond anything Sousuke would’ve imagined the two of them doing as a way of “friendly bonding”. It’s like the usual game of chicken, but it’s got an…  _interesting_  twist to it, if you will. Well, that depends on the definition of interesting, but it certainly isn’t something Sousuke usually would do. Especially with Nanase fucking Haruka.

To be quite honest, Sousuke hasn’t ever thought about whether or not he’d have a thing for guys. Can he admit to finding other guys attractive? Sure! Well, maybe not call them  _sexy_ , but good-looking. Yeah. Rin? Good-looking. Makoto? Okay, not really Sousuke’s type. Not that he knows what his type  _is_ , but that’s beside the point.

Haruka?

… He isn’t  _ugly_ , that’s for certain. But does that make him  _attractive_? Sousuke wouldn’t even admit to thinking that over his own dead body. (But of course, he does find the other man attractive. Goddamn Nanase.)

“You sure you wanna do this? I’m not gonna let you live this down if you lose”, Sousuke says in a last effort to try and make Haru chicken out before their game’s even started. Haru just shrugs at him and crosses his arms, which pisses Sousuke off. How does anyone  _live_  with such a passive person like Haru?

“I’m down”, Haru says simply, and Sousuke snorts.

“You’re  _going_  down, that’s for sure. Alright, let’s go.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

But how the hell do they start? This isn’t a normal game of chicken, this is… what the hell  _is_  this, even?  _Gay_  chicken?

“Who goes first?” Sousuke asks, and Haruka shrugs.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” he suggests, and Sousuke couldn’t have been happier over such a trivial, simple thing. And when they’re about to play a game of rock-paper-scissors, he realises how childish it makes them look. Is this how Rin and Makoto have seen them like this entire time?

When Haru stretches out a fist in front of him, ready to begin their silly game of rock-paper-scissors, Sousuke slaps it down with an exasperated sigh, earning a confused glare from the man in front of him.

“This is fucking dumb”, he says as he scoots closer to Haru with his butt sliding across the floor, closing their distance down to nearly nothing as their kneecaps almost touch. “It’s just chicken, you don’t take turns.”

Haru lifts his hands up in an almost surrendering gesture. “Hey, it was your idea. And I thought you wanted to do that because you were scared of potentially having to start things off.”

Sousuke snorts, insulted. “Me, scared? Oh,  _honey —_ that just makes me even more eager to have you lose. And I  _will_ , mind you.”

 

* * *

 

So he brings a hand forward, slides it in between Haru’s thighs, running it slowly up, almost all the way up to the other’s crotch. He swallows hard. Okay, so Nanase  _is_  attractive. Big fucking surprise, everyone thinks so. Tachibana does, Rin does — god knows how many times Sousuke’s had to listen to Rin talking about Nanase like he’s some sort of otherworldly being, a deity living among mortals. Well, he’s half right about that, that’s for sure. Because there’s no way Nanase’s a regular human being like the rest of them.

He leans up close to Haru, getting almost too close, and whispers hotly into his ear: “Having second thoughts? Ready to chicken out?”

What he receives in response is a  _scoff_ , and then Haru’s mirroring his hand motions, but soon enough goes even further by playfully running his fingers over the zipper on Sousuke’s jeans, over the area where there’s about to be a bulge soon enough if Sousuke can’t manage to control himself. Why is he wearing  _jeans_  of all kinds of trousers he could’ve worn today?

Haru’s deft fingers unbutton Sousuke’s jeans, and then the zipper’s pulled down. He feels himself almost breaking a sweat, but Sousuke clenches his fists in an attempt to gather more courage. He’s not going to lose this. He’s not one to throw in the towel that easily, and this certainly won’t be an exception. He’s  _going_  to win, no matter what.

Two dark-blue are trained on him as if to confirm that he wants to continue this, and Sousuke holds that gaze as his answer. It’s a staring contest and a game of gay chicken — this is as bad as it gets. The question is how far their weird little game is going to go before one of them chickens out.

Correction, before  _Nanase_  chickens out.

A hand gropes his lower region, and Sousuke sucks in a breath, hopefully quiet enough to not attract attention from Haru. To prove that he isn’t going to back out of it, Sousuke adjusts his position, no longer sitting on his heels tucked under his butt like you usually do by a kotatsu. His new position almost makes him look like he’s  _inviting_  Haru, but that’s only for the better. This is a game of dare, after all.

When Sousuke continues his own stroking along Haru’s inner thigh and briefly over his crotch, Haru sits properly, too, giving Sousuke better access. They’re practically mimicking each other by this point, doing the same thing. Well, that is until Sousuke feels Haru literally pull his boxers down, exposing his half-hard length. Since when the fuck had he started getting  _hard_? By  _Nanase_ , of all people?

“Scared yet, Yamazaki?” Haru asks, as he actually begins to  _go down_  on Sousuke, whose eyes widen in horror, surprise and maybe a little excitement. Sousuke tries to snort at it, but it’s cut short when he first feels a hand wrap around his half-hard cock, but then there’s a set of lips wrapping themselves around it, too. His jaw tightens, and Sousuke breathes heavily through his nose.

“Nanase, this is—” he begins, voice again cut off my a moan he fails to hold back. What the  _hell_ , how is Nanase even  _good_  at doing this? Has he done it before? On whom? Well, Sousuke could answer that for himself; there’s probably a reason why the man currently sucking him off is so close to Tachibana. Friends with benefits? Interesting concept. Not one he could ever see himself having with Rin, though.

Haru takes his mouth off of Sousuke’s cock with a lewd and wet  _plop_ , and he looks up. There’s a thin string of saliva running down one side of his mouth, but it makes him look strangely sexy, for some reason. “Chickening out?”

“Fuck no”, Sousuke snarls, and Haru’s right back to business before he’s got time to continue talking. Well, if this is supposed to be a game of fucking gay chicken, Sousuke may just as well go all out. So he begins his descent into homosexual hell by tapping on Haru’s back, probably making the other think he’s giving up, surrendering.

“What  _now_?” Haruka asks, irritated, as he wipes his mouth. Sousuke gives him what he hopes is a smirk, and he motions for the other to stand up as he does the same, pulling his boxers and trousers back up.

“Well, unless you want to do this right here on your floor, I was thinking we should relocate”, he says, hopefully spurring Haru on, if even just a little. Haru seems to take the hint, so he motions with a simple cock of his head towards the staircase, which the two of them climb within seconds.

 

* * *

 

When they’ve arrived in Haru’s bedroom, Sousuke doesn’t waste any time, and immediately grabs the other man by the front of his shirt. Haru shoots him a weird look and a raised eyebrow.  

“Taking your clothes off”, Sousuke says, answering the unasked question. “I’m not chickening out of this, Nanase. But I’m gonna make  _you_  the chicken.”

“Alright then, try me”, Haru replies, and he sounds like he’s just as teasing as Sousuke feels like being himself.  _Fine, I’ll play your goddamn game, Nanase. I’ll play it, and I’ll win it, too, how about that?_

He wrangles Haru out of his shirt, and Haru helps him off with his own. Yeah, this most certainly isn’t the normal game of chicken where people run full-force towards each other with pots on their heads to crash into each other and fall down onto the floor.

Instead, this is a game of  _gay_  chicken, where Sousuke and Haru are running full force into what could be literal hell or something Sousuke would have to admit to being enjoyable. Well, he’d only admit that to  _himself_ , of course. Nanase’s got a big enough head as it is already.

 _Big head_.

Oh no.

Sousuke’s mind is already working its way through terrible sexual innuendos, and he hasn’t even  _seen_  Nanase’s junk yet. The most they’ve seen of each other is down to their swimming gear, as they’ve been on different teams and never even showered in the same shower room after a race. This is completely new to them, unexplored territory and boundaries yet to be crossed.

When Sousuke begins to work on pulling down Haru’s trousers, he’s in for quite the surprise. And no, he hasn’t even pulled down Haru’s boxers yet, because he’s not wearing any.

“What the fuck, Nanase. You wearing your goddamn  _swim trunks_? Do you always wear those?”

“Pretty much”, Haruka says, shrugging it off. “What, you can’t take swim trunks off of someone else?”

Sousuke narrows his eyes and gets down on his knees to prove that he  _can_. Like a child who tells their mother they can do it themselves. When Haru’s kicked off his trousers, Sousuke peels Haru’s swim trunks down and has him shimmy the rest of the way out of them, before he carelessly throws them into one of the corners of the room. He tries  _not_  to blatantly stare at Haru’s surprisingly big dick (wondering what it looks like when fully erect), but probably fails pretty badly at it.

“Sure I can”, he says, before getting up and pushing Haru towards the neatly made bed. Oh, what a  _shame_  to ruin the near perfect bedding. Sousuke  _definitely_  doesn’t shove Haru down onto the bed, straddling him and pinning him down. “You know that we can’t actually go  _that_  far if we don’t have lube, right?”

Haru looks up at him. “Condoms, though.”

“I’m a  _guy_ , Nanase. Of course I have condoms. So?”

The man below him ignores the jab, and just looks over to the opposite side of the bedroom. “Second drawer. Might be buried under a few shirts.”

Sousuke gets off Haru and the bed altogether to start rummaging through said drawer. Gladly, it doesn’t take him long to find the bottle of lube, which is of a surprisingly nice brand that Sousuke’s sure must’ve cost Nanase a pretty penny. He almost feels honoured to be allowed to use it.

“Right. On your stomach, ass up in the air”, he commands upon returning, and Haru snorts.

“Demanding, I like that. But no, I prefer doing it this way. Take it or leave it.”

By ‘leaving it’, that would mean ‘chickening out’ in this case, and Sousuke isn’t about to chicken out over the goddamn position in bed. And sure, Sousuke’s never had sex with a guy before, but  _he’s_  a guy, and he knows what feels good on himself. And he figures Haru will either kick him or something if he doesn’t like it. Of course, Sousuke isn’t going to make Haru chicken out by being violent or anything; that’s below him, even when it comes to someone like Nanase, whom he’d only just recently made peace with.

“Fine, Sousuke grumbles as he takes a condom out of the wallet in his trouses previously discarded on the floor. Classic, really. If only he’d been carrying around a purse with him at all times, he could’ve kept more than just a few condoms with him. It’s too much effort, though, so he just has himself to blame.

Having put the condom on, Sousuke lathers on some of the expensive-looking lube onto his hand and smears it all over the latex contraption covering his cock. Is it okay for him to be generous with it? What the hell, if Nanase doesn’t want him to, it’s all his fault if he ends up getting hurt.

“Don’t hold back or I’m calling you the chicken”, Haru says as Sousuke gets on the bed again. Sousuke snorts and rolls his eyes.

“Thirsty, are we?”

“Just get on with it, Yamazaki.”

Sousuke thinks he might just be detecting a slight blush in Haru’s cheeks, and he laughs. “Alright, suit yourself."

With one hand around his own length, Sousuke carefully and very slowly begins prodding at Haru’s entrance with an index finger on his free hand. He watches Haru sink down a bit as he releases a breath, relaxing himself. His legs are spread wide, giving Sousuke more access.

“You know”, he says when he’s just about done preparing Haru and having gotten himself somewhat hard again, “I think we’re just about to pass the line where it’ll be inevitable to chicken out. So if you want to, you can do that now.”

“And lose?” Haru snorts, again lifting that eyebrow that makes Sousuke’s own twitch in annoyance. “No. I’m going over the finish line, and I don’t care if you do or not.”

“Where the hell was that competitive instinct back in high school?” Sousuke asks, and he slowly,  _slowly_ , pushes in. Haru tips his head back with a mix of a hiss and a moan, and Sousuke can’t help but absolutely  _love_  the look on Haru’s face; eyes fluttering shut, mouth half-open and cheeks flushed.

It takes a while of slowly inching himself inside, but when he  _is_  all the way in, Sousuke lets out a dragged out moan and closes his eyes in pleasure. His hands are resting on either side of Haru, whose head nearly sinks all the way down into the pillow beneath him. Honestly, Nanase has a good taste when it comes to interior design, Sousuke’s found out. All the way down to the sheets he’s getting to test out for the first time, even.

His hands grip the sheets below tighter when he feels himself getting closer to release. Haru’s breathing is uneven, and he’s matching Sousuke’s thrusts pretty well, with the occasional hip bone clashing. Sousuke watches Haruka come completely undone below him, and he can’t help but absolutely enjoy the sight; watching Haru bite down on his lower lip, a crease between his eyebrows, a few drips of sweat trickling down his forehead. It  _is_  rather hot in here, and Sousuke’s glad they’re not doing this under the comforter.

“Still not chickening out?” Haru asks him, and Sousuke thrusts harder in response, making the other let out a gasp.

“Fuck you”, he growls, but there’s not a lot of weight in those words, and the bastard beneath him  _laughs_.

Something Sousuke finds himself having to admit to is how much he absolutely  _loves_  the feeling of being inside Haruka, alternating between gentle and rough fucking, both of which Haru seems to enjoy. Sure, he’d kind of expected he’d start learning more and more things about Haru now that they were supposed to be friends — but when it came to  _these_  things, they hadn’t even been on his list of possible things to find out about Nanase Haruka.

“Nanase, I’m—  _fuck_ ”, he hisses, and Haru just nods a few times fast, signalling that he’s just about there, too. They come with not too long time apart; Haru first with a loud cry and his nails digging into Sousuke’s arm (since when had he grabbed a hold of that, even?) almost to the point of drawing blood. Sousuke himself comes with a moan seeping through clenched teeth, and then he collapses down on top of Haruka, breathing heavily whilst trying to come off of his post-orgasm high.

 

* * *

 

He lies on his back, breathing gone back to its normal rhythm, and his eyes are closed. He isn’t asleep, but he fears he might actually fall asleep if he lies here for much longer. Besides, he can’t stay here for  _too_  long, he does have a place of his own to return to. Although he isn’t too keen on it right now, he knows he does have to get up pretty soon.

“I think”, Haruka says, breaking the silence, “we ended up in a tie. Since neither of us chickened out. Usually a game of chicken would result in injuries in a case like that.”

Sousuke snorts out a laugh. “Yeah, but this sure as hell wasn’t a normal game of chicken. If you tell anyone, I’m gonna have to kill you, you know.”

Haru scoffs. “I wouldn’t. It’ll be our little secret, don’t worry about it.”

“You know, I hate your guts sometimes, but you’re also not too bad. Especially in bed”, Sousuke says as he props his elbow on the mattress and supports his chin on his palm.

“You’re not too bad, either, I suppose”, Haru replies simply, and Sousuke glares at him. “You staying for dinner? I’m hungry.”

A bit shocked at the sudden suggestion, Sousuke looks at the clock on the opposite wall. It’s about dinner time, alright, and that’s when he realises he hasn’t had anything to eat since that sandwich around eleven, which could hardly be qualified as lunch.

He shrugs. “Sure. What’re you making?”

“Hasn’t Rin told you anything?”

It takes a few seconds for it to click, but when it does, Sousuke stares at Haru wide-eyed. “I’m ordering takeout, and as a compensation, I’m paying. No fucking mackerel. Deal?”

Haru pouts, but then relents, and Sousuke does a mental jab of victory.

So his first game of ‘gay chicken’ ended in a tie — could’ve been worse, he could’ve actually chickened out and lost. He’s pretty sure Haru wouldn’t let him live that down. Would Haru let the others know? Sousuke has no idea if Haru’s a kiss-and-tell, but he doesn’t dare finding out, either.

Wait,  _first_ game of gay chicken? Hell no, he’s not doing this again. No, no — definitely not. Even if it’s Haru.

...  _Maybe_  if it’s Haru.


	65. SouHaru #24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru sees Sousuke acting really friendly with another man, and he gets jealous and grouchy. Sousuke notices, and makes sure to prove to Haru whom it is he cares about the most.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Haru’s a stickler for rules and staying exactly on schedule, which Nagisa tends not to appreciate for the most part. Especially on days like these when they barely have any customers near the end of the day, and could easily close up shop earlier — but Haru doesn’t want to close early  _just in case_  someone decides to walk in and buy something in the last minute. It doesn’t happen very often, but the fact that it does every now and then makes him want to stick to that rule.

“Haru-chan, we have  _two minutes_  left”, Nagisa whines, coming out of the kitchenette. He’s already taken his apron off, and looks like he’s ready to bolt out the door as soon as Haru gives him a green light. “No one’s gonna come in now, I promise. I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow if I’m wrong.”

Haru doesn’t even dignify his friend with a look, but instead keeps wiping off the counter, and making sure the mini fridges are closed properly. When the alarm on his wristwatch goes off, Nagisa squeaks in happiness. Well, no free lunch tomorrow, then. “Can I go now? Please?”

He sighs. “Fine. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

Nagisa looks at him, insulted. “I would never.”

“And yet you were today.”

“Hehe, sorry. I really couldn’t help it, though. Anyway, see you tomorrow, Haru-chan!”

“Sure. And stop calling me that!”

Nagisa doesn’t hear his last words as he’s already out the door, but not before he flips the sign to ‘closed’.  _Good, some things actually do stick in that guy’s brain_ , Haru thinks to himself as he goes to grab his keys and turn off the lights before leaving. Turning off the lights makes the little pastry shop look kind of scary, and it’s something Makoto strongly dislikes about coming to meet Haru just after they close.

When Haru walks out of the pastry shop to lock the door, Sousuke’s outside waiting for him as usual, which puts a little smile on his lips. It quickly fades as he sees Sousuke isn’t alone, but standing with a fellow police officer and having a casual conversation. It looks a little  _too_  friendly to be put in the ‘friend’ category, and Haru feels a little sting of jealousy upon watching the scene. Sousuke’s laughing, smiling widely, and the other man’s doing the same. Of course. Who  _wouldn’t_  be smiling around someone like Sousuke?

He almost doesn’t want to approach them and wait for the other man to leave — if he ever plans to? — but then Sousuke spots him and lifts his hand in a wave. The smile still stays, and Haru wonders if it’s now meant for him, but doesn’t return the gesture. He does, however, feel like it might be safe to walk over there now, so he does.

“… would absolutely  _suck_ , I agree. Oh, here he is. Yoshida, this is Haru. Haru, this is a co-worker of mine, Yoshida Akira.”

Haru almost wants to slap on a ‘I’m his boyfriend’ in addition to Sousuke’s poor introduction of him, but resists the urge. Instead, he nods stiffly at Sousuke’s co-worker and lightly nudges his arm before this Yoshida guy has the chance to utter the classic ‘oh, nice to meet you’. It wouldn’t be a mutual feeling, that’s for sure, so Haru stops it from happening before the guy has a chance to even think of it.

“Ready to go soon?”

“Yeah, sure. Yoshida lives just down the street, so he walked with me here.”

_Please spare me all of the details_ , Haru thinks to himself, but just hums in acknowledgement. The third wheel says goodbye and walks in the opposite direction of the one they’re going in, and Haru sighs an inward sigh of relief. To further mark his territory in case Yoshida decides to turn around, Haru takes Sousuke’s hand as the two start walking back home.

“Feeling a little extra lovey-dovey today, are we?” Sousuke teases, but Haru doesn’t look up at him, keeping his eyes straight forward. He doesn’t even notice he’s pouting until Sousuke points it out. “Something wrong? You look kinda upset.”

Haru winces. “It’s nothing. Long day.”

Sousuke shrugs, and thankfully decides to let it go so they can walk home in peace. It’s a nice evening, not too hot but not cold enough for wearing a sweater over their short sleeves. Still being in the middle of summer, Haru has at least a month and a half left of having to cope with the heat whilst being unable to cool himself down in a pool. If only he’d taken that job at ITSC Returns way back when.

Haru just looks forward to coming home, lying down on the couch with their air conditioning unit running at full power. Sousuke usually doesn’t like him turning it up that high because of their electricity bill — he’s caused it to be quite expensive a few times this way, among other contributing factors — but it’s not like he can just let them die of a heat stroke in the comfort of their own home. Right?

 

* * *

 

Walking inside, Sousuke sighs as he kicks his shoes off. Haru shuffles past the hallway and into the living room without a word, preparing to take his clothes off and jump straight into the shower. He’s planning on showering cold,  _really_  cold, and try to chase his annoying thoughts away. Water usually helps him with whatever he needs help with — well, it was a little difficult to ask the bath tub water for help with his English homework — and to generally just take his mind off of things.

So before Sousuke has a chance to snatch the bathroom first, Haru hurries inside, locking the door behind him. He makes quick but thorough work of shimmying his way out of his clothes, and then turns on the shower, the lever leaning more towards C than H. It feels good on his skin once he steps inside, the coolness of the water almost instantly making his body temperature drop, the water trickling down from his head down to his feet as he just stands there for a while.

He still can’t get the image of Sousuke smiling at another man out of his head. Sure, had it been anyone Haru knows, it would’ve been fine. Even Kisumi — Haru may not like him all that much because of how radically  _different_  they are, but at least he knows where he has the guy. This police bloke, on the other hand, is new to him, he doesn’t know his hidden agenda, if he even  _has_  one — of course he does, there’s no mistaking the way he looked at Sousuke — and he doesn’t know what Sousuke’s angle is, what Sousuke thinks of his co-worker named Yoshida.

Haru realises he’s been standing in there for a little  _too_  long doing nothing when Sousuke knocks on the door. “Oi, Haruka — you planning on monopolising the bathroom? I need to pee.”

“Ah, sorry”, he says and immediately reaches for the shampoo bottle. “Be out in a minute.”

Haru makes quick but thorough work of his shower and is out in less than three minutes after having been brought back from having zoned out. Sousuke gives him a slightly annoyed look when he opens the door again, and then he’s not so gently pushed out as the door is slammed shut behind him. Two seconds later, he hears Sousuke groan in pleasure of finally getting to take that piss, and he barely resists laughing.

He walks into their bedroom and gets into a pair of shorts and one of his bigger t-shirts. He’s never been one for those tank tops that Rin insists on wearing any day he’s off work — and Sousuke tends to wear at times, but he actually looks  _good_  in those — so t-shirts are his go-to when the weather is as mercilessly hot as it is today. The cool floor feels good under the soles of his feet as he walks back out into the living room to turn on the AC.

He plops down on the couch and draws his knees up under his chin, hugging them tight with both arms. So the shower didn’t help much, which actually surprises Haru, as it usually  _does_  help him get in a better mood, if even just slightly. Now what? Go out for a walk? No thanks, not when he’s just taken a shower and sworn not to leave the house even for another second today. Dinner and going to bed early sounds like a good plan to him, especially since he’s got to be at the shop early next morning to bake pastries and bread.

Sousuke emerges from the bathroom, and Haru immediately feels his mood drop again. It’s a miracle he manages to  _not_  scowl at his boyfriend when Sousuke comes to sit down next to him on the couch, lazily draping an arm over Haru’s shoulders.

“So how was your day?” Sousuke asks, and then he’s kissing Haru on his temple, which makes him recoil ever so slightly.

“Fine”, he says. Of course, Sousuke’s quick to pick up on his unusually sour mood, as he turns to properly face Haru.

“Did something happen? You seem a bit off.”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

Sousuke sighs, his half-embrace tightening around Haru’s shoulders. “Okay, everything’s  _not_  fine. Talk to me. Something’s obviously wrong. And don’t pull a Haruka on me here, actually talk to me for once.”

Haru wants to snort at the ironic metaphor. What else is he supposed to do? A Rin, and start crying, blabbering on about his endless amount of emotions? That’s not like him, and it’ll never be, even if he’d be sentenced to spending the rest of his life tethered to Rin whilst isolated in a small room. No, never. But, seeing as he’ll never get out of this situation if he doesn’t actually  _talk_  to Sousuke, Haru gives in with an exasperated sigh and a crossing of his arms across his chest.

“You didn’t say who I was to that guy earlier.”

“Yoshida? Oh, he knows. I’ve told him before about you. Why, did that bother you?”

“Also”, Haru says, not answering the question even though he’s secretly glad Sousuke  _has_  talked to his co-worker about him before, “you seemed awfully…  _cheery_  around him. Not really like yourself. It was… strange.”

This time, Sousuke snorts and leans back to give Haru an incredulous look. “Wait, what are you implying? Just so I’m not missing out on blatantly obvious things.”

_Yeah, you tend to do that_ , Haru thinks with a mental roll of his eyes. “Nothing, just forget about it.”

He sees Sousuke blink a few times in confusion in the corner of his eye, and then Sousuke  _laughs_ , which just makes Haru want to punch him. Why the hell is he laughing? What’s so funny all of a sudden?

“Oh, Haruka… don’t tell me you’re actually  _jealous_? Do you think I have a thing for Yoshida?” When Haru doesn’t reply, Sousuke’s laughter increases in volume.

He suddenly feels dumb, paranoid, mortified. When Sousuke reacts like this to his silent accusations of cheating, there’s nothing Haru can do but relent, give in. Haru hunches his shoulders and buries his face against his knees, and then he feels Sousuke’s both arms embrace his shoulders.

“Haruka”, Sousuke says gently into his ear, the low rumble of his voice making Haru shiver involuntarily; he both hates and loves the impact Sousuke’s voice has on him, “come with me for a bit.”

“Why?” he asks, voice muffled as he refuses to look up. He feels the weight shift on the couch, guessing Sousuke’s gotten up on his feet.

“Just trust me. Okay?”

He wants to continue being stubborn and refuse taking his boyfriend’s hand, but in a few seconds, he’s up on his feet, too, and he’s being led into their bedroom. Wait, bedroom? What the hell kind of business would they have—

Oh.  _Oh_. Of course.

It hits him like a brick every time Sousuke does something. When he undresses Haru, when he plants soft kisses down his neck, along his collarbones. When Sousuke lays him down onto the bed, and nearly twenty minutes later as his he thrusts deep into Haruka, whispering cheesy lines Haru would otherwise snort and roll his eyes at.

“I love you”, Sousuke says, and Haru tries so hard to look Sousuke in the eye, but he’s blushing so hard he’s afraid he’ll spontaneously self-combust if he looks at his boyfriend any longer. Instead, he averts his gaze to the side and frowns.

“I love you, too. Stupid.”

Sousuke’s hand caresses his cheek, his other pumping Haru up and down to make sure the two of them reach their orgasm at the same time, or at least close to each other.

 

* * *

 

And when they’re both lying on their backs post-sex, trying to regulate their breathing, Haru stares up at the ceiling above them. It’s still pretty bright out, which is odd for when they usually have sex. Well, he wouldn’t call this sex as much as it was downright love-making, but still. It usually happens right before they go to sleep at night, but at this point, they still have to make dinner. And Haru needs a second shower.

"Congratulations, you proved your point”, Haru mutters into the silence. Sousuke laughs.

“Good. Still think I’d cheat on you?”

“No.”

“That’s all I wanted to prove. And that I love you.”

“I already knew that”, Haru says, but it’s absolutely mortifying to admit to it. Damn this man and whatever kind of magic tricks he’s pulling on Haru, slowly turning him into a sap much like Sousuke himself. Who would’ve thought  _this_  about Yamazaki Sousuke upon first glance? Not Haru, that’s for sure.

“Well, good. I can’t stand people who cheat on their significant other. Just break the fuck up or don’t cheat, that’s my stance on that.”

And while this statement honestly doesn’t surprise Haru, it sure is nice to hear it being said out loud, as confirmation. He leans against Sousuke’s shoulder and sighs.

“Sorry”, he mumbles, but Sousuke just kisses him on the top of his head.

“’S fine. Dinner?”

“Shower first”, Haru counters, and Sousuke agrees.


	66. SouHaru #25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Strip poker.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

It’s a rainy Sunday, and they’ve got nothing to do, having both gotten tired of browsing through their phones, reading the Sunday paper, and play-bickering slash tickling each other by the kotatsu. Both off work, Sousuke and Haru quickly find themselves out of things to entertain themselves with. That’s when Sousuke remembers his old deck of cards probably stashed away in his nightstand drawer.

“Hey, I have an idea — wanna play poker?”

Haru looks up at him with a bored look, eyebrows slightly raised. “I don’t know how to play.”

Sousuke snorts in disbelief. “What the hell kinda life have you been living before I came around?”

“A good one?” Haru suggests, and Sousuke glares daggers at him.

“Ha ha, very funny. Seriously, we should play, it’ll be fun. I’ll beat you, sure — but I’ll still explain the rules properly. Without cheating or trying to trick you, of course.”

Haru snorts. “I doubt that, but fine. I could probably still win."

“Yeah, okay”, Sousuke replies sarcastically. “Wait a sec.”

He walks into their bedroom, and searches through his nightstand drawer. To be fair, he hasn’t played cards with anyone since Samezuka when he and Rin shared a room, so his deck of cards could be just about anywhere in the house. Not that he thinks his card playing abilities have gone rusty over the years, but still. He’s pretty confident he’ll win against Haru in poker, though, since he tends to have rather decent luck.

Having finally found his deck of cards buried underneath a bunch of clothes in one of his drawers, Sousuke returns to the living room, and sits down on the opposite side of Haruka by the kotatsu. “I have another idea. How about strip poker?”

Haru looks at him in disbelief. “Does that mean you get butt naked when you lose?”

“No! Well, I mean… you lose one piece of clothing every time you lose a round. Say you lose one round, that means you’d have to take off like your socks, or your shirt. And then the next round something else. Get it?”

“So not one sock per lost round.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes. “If you want to be a coward, but that’s not generally how it goes, no. You in or not?”

“Fine”, Haru says, crossing his arms. “Then teach me.”

So Sousuke does. Honestly, five card draw is the easiest poker type to do when you’re playing strip poker, since it doesn’t take more than just a deck of cards, and a smart mind. While Haru has his questionable moments sometimes, Sousuke has a feeling Haru would get the hang of this game pretty fast. Would he win? Sousuke doubts it, but there’s no telling until they’ve played a few games, and when you can start to see who’s had to take off the most clothes.

“... so if you’re  _absolutely sure_  you’ll win the entire round with every card you put down, you can say Chicago beforehand.”

Haru squints. “I hate English words. Can’t we switch it to something in Japanese?”

“Jeez”, Sousuke says with a roll of his eyes, “fine. Let’s go with Tokyo, then.”

“Good. So which is higher again, straight or flush?”

“Flush; that’s five points, while a straight gives you four. Get a straight flush and you gain ten points, but that’s... pretty rare. You get a royal straight flush — which is basically ace of hearts down to ten — and you win the game, essentially. And obviously, that’s even rarer. We’ll go to twenty-five. Sound good?”

Haru wrinkles his nose in disapproval. All kinds of unwilling today, Sousuke notices. Surprised he even agreed to this in the first place. “Sounds a bit short.”

“Oh, it won’t be”, Sousuke replies, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Especially if one of us gets a four of a kind, that way you put the other person down to zero. Let’s do a test round where no one loses anything, alright?”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke shuffles the cards three times, and cuts the deck once — something he’s considered a good luck charm for a long time. The cards are starting to get a little worn out, but they’ll at least last during this game of poker. He can’t believe it’s been so long since he played, and vows to himself to teach Haru other kinds of poker, as well as other card games in general. It’s a good way to pass time, especially on a rainy Sunday such as this.

His first five cards give him nothing better than mixed colours and a king kicker, which he keeps. Sousuke throws his four rubbish cards onto the table and looks over at Haru. “You gonna keep those, or switch some out?”

Haru looks down at his cards with a concentrated frown for a few seconds, one hand over his mouth, and then he throws two cards into the pile Sousuke had previously created. “Two.”

Sousuke hands him two and gives himself three, and then Haru begins, sliding a four of clubs onto the kotatsu table. Sousuke snorts.  _Easy_ , he thinks, as he tops Haru’s with a ten of clubs, as well as drawing his next card, a king of diamonds. His boyfriend can’t go higher, and puts down a three of diamonds, whereas it’s Sousuke’s turn again.

He ends up winning the practice round, having only come out a pair of tens. He grins triumphantly at Haru. “Seems like this’ll be an easy game, as I would’ve just gotten myself three points for that game.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself”, Haru mutters, but Sousuke can’t help but still be. He’s good at this game, after all. Well, okay — so maybe that depends on who you’re playing against. He’d won pretty much all of his games against Rin, and when they’d been joined by Momotarou and Nitori, he’d won against them, too, for the most part. There  _was_  that one time Momotarou had landed himself a straight flush without realising it, but Sousuke likes to think that never happened.

(He’d had a full house on hand then, and was  _not_  happy to know he’d been beat when he thought he’d win easily. It had taken Momo a long time to let that one go.)

Haru and Sousuke begin their ‘real’ game of poker, Sousuke once again dealing out the cards. What he should’ve figured out before they even began is that Haru has a really good poker face, his face muscles not even once giving him a way with something as little as an eyebrow twitch. It makes it a little more difficult for Sousuke to read his boyfriend, but he doesn’t let that get him down.

That is, until he’s lost his shirt, both socks and his belt, which Haru didn’t want to count as one piece of clothing at first. “Why the hell not?!” Sousuke barks.

“That’s like taking off just one sock. If you take off your belt, take your trousers off, too.”

Sousuke looks down at the cards he’s thrown down at the table, two pretty high pairs, but he’d of course been beaten by a lousy three of a kind in fours. Typical, as soon as he’s gotten himself something he thought would rake in a few points. Of course not.

His bad luck continues as he’s finally forced to take his trousers off after having lost with a good pair of queens to a goddamn pair of  _aces_. That lucky bastard. Haru might not be wearing his shirt and socks anymore, but Sousuke’s now one piece of clothing away from sitting butt naked on his kotatsu pillow. One loss away from having Haru beat him in a game of five card draw. All of a sudden, he feels  _bashful —_  a word he never thought he’d associate with himself. Laid back? Sure. Shy? No,  _hell_  no.

And why should he? First of all, the two of them used to swim together in high school, and regularly saw each other in nothing but swim trunks (and  _that_  had been difficult, at times). Second of all… they’re dating. They’ve had sex, seen each other without a single threat on their bodies. So why’s he so ashamed of sitting there in just his boxers?

Oh, maybe because he’s  _losing_  a game of  _poker_. A game he’s supposed to be the best at, and now he’s losing. Badly. He remembers when he’d told Rin about that one time he’d raced Haru way back when, and how a tingling feeling had coursed through his entire body during said race. Well, he wasn’t lying, that’s for sure. That’s the kind of feeling he gets when he sees Haru in a pair of swim trunks — or even better, in the nude — nowadays. It can be almost deadly sometimes, especially since Haru tends to carelessly walk out of the shower not even bothering to wrap a towel around his waist.

It’s a thought that bears repeating: Haru’s gonna be the death of Sousuke one day.

Haru gets the honours of shuffling the cards this time. His nimble hands and fingers make quick work of it; he’s learnt from having watched Sousuke do it a few times now, and Haru’s gotten pretty good at it. A fast learner, eh? That could come handy in other situations, too...

Sousuke’s first set of cards are pretty decent, he thinks. A pair of nines and an ace, which he keeps just in case he gets another ace, and maybe even a nine, too — who knows? A full house would do him well right now, Haru sitting at twenty points while he’s at sixteen. Haru’s got five points left to win, Sousuke has nine. He can still do this.

 

* * *

 

He doesn’t. Sousuke stares in disbelief at Haru’s three eights and two Jacks on the table, and he sighs in frustration and defeat. “A fucking  _full house_ ”, he almost whispers — hisses, more like — and Haru gives him that small, almost unnoticeable jackass smirk he’s seen so many times since they started dating. Before that, even.

“Does this mean you get to take your boxers off now that I’ve won?” Haru asks, raising an amused eyebrow to go with that asshole look he’s already sporting.

“I’m  _not_  getting fucking naked. Game’s over, you’ve already won. Don’t need you gloating in my misery more than you already are. Congrats, you won your first game of poker, you little shit. Don’t you  _dare_  tell anyone about this.”

“Oh, I won’t. This’ll be our little secret”, Haruka says, barely unable to stifle his laughter. Sousuke doesn’t believe his boyfriend’s words, and awaits,  _frets_ , the day Rin hears the news.


	67. SouHaru #26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Disgustingly fluffy cuddles.**
> 
> Combined an anonymous prompt with the one I was sent from [MofetteMofo](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MofetteMofo). Super huge thanks to [Daxii](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxii) for the help, too! (Tumblr [here](http://daxii.tumblr.com).)

Sousuke closes his eyes, lets the stream of water trickle down his face and further down his body, shuts everything else out. He has to really cherish the time he gets in the shower, because the bathroom’s usually occupied by Haru who takes his obscenely long baths pretty much every day. It’s especially bad when he decides to do it in the morning as Sousuke has to go to work.

Thankfully, Haru’s already taken his bath and is lying in bed at this point, so Sousuke’s got all the time in the world to take a shower. Well, that is if Haru doesn’t decide he desperately needs to pee soon, in which case Sousuke knows he’ll have to cut his quality time in the shower short. 

Eventually, he stops letting the water just pelt his skin, and makes actual use of the shower, massaging shampoo into his hair and washing himself with the almost  _too_  fragrant shower gel Haru had insisted on them buying the other day. It honestly smells like someone just shoved a bouquet of roses in Sousuke’s face and forced him to take a large whiff. He uses too much of it on purpose to have it run out sooner — oops, some of it ‘accidentally’ ended up on the floor _—_ and then  _he’s_  going to be the one picking out their shower gel the next time.

Sousuke emerges from the shower about five minutes later, feeling exhilarated and a hundred per cent relaxed. A good shower is always the best way to end a long and exhausting day, helping to prevent Sousuke having sore muscles the next day. It isn’t every day he wrestles down angry people, but today had brought a particularly bad case of it, and he feels his body ache all over.

When he walks into the bedroom, he sees Haru in bed, as expected. He’s got the duvet pulled up to his ears, and then there’s the goddamned plush dolphin lying on Sousuke’s side of the bed, too. It’s almost the same size as Haru himself, which Sousuke finds adorable. Not right now, though, when it’s taking up his side of the bed where he’s just about to lie down. If he’s allowed to, that is.

“Oi, can you move that thing outta the way?” Sousuke asks, and Haru looks up at him with a slight frown and a pout.

“Where am I supposed to put it, then?"

"On the floor."

"It isn’t a  _dog_ , Sousuke.”

Sousuke snorts. “No, you’re right — it’s a dolphin, and it’s a  _toy_. It has no right to take up my place in bed. I pay half the rent here.”

“Then you can sleep on the couch”, Haru retorts, still pouting. At which point Sousuke just rolls his eyes and continues walking towards the bed, completely disregarding his boyfriend’s threat. On his way, he throws the towel he’d just dried his hair with onto the desk chair, deciding he’ll take care of it in the morning.

When he picks Haru up from the bed, hands under his arms, Haru begins squirming about and nearly kicks Sousuke in the side.

“What are you  _doing_?” Haru asks, and Sousuke sits down on Haru’s side of the bed, with Haru on his lap now.

“Making space, since you’re too goddamn stubborn to have that thing leave my side of the bed. Stop kicking, you’re like a shitty kid.”

Haru does stop kicking, and Sousuke lies down, gently pulls Haru down with him, and pulls his legs up on the bed as well, adjusting his position. The cursed dolphin still lies on Sousuke’s side of the bed, but now Haru’s lying on top of Sousuke, so all three of them can fit on the bed. Sousuke hates the idea of having to think of the dolphin as a third person in the house.

First of all, it isn’t a person, it’s not even a living thing — it’s a  _plush dolphin_ , for god’s sake. Second of all, if it  _had_  been a living thing, Sousuke would still have to kick it out since it doesn’t pay rent or help to take care of things in the house, to earn a place in their bed to begin with. Ergo, the existence of said plush dolphin in their bed is completely unnecessary, but Sousuke knows he won’t win an argument to Haruka about it.

“This okay? Or are you  _still_  not satisfied?” Sousuke asks.Haru looks up at him, his frown smoothing out slowly.

“It’s fine. Hang on”, Haru says as he lifts the dolphin up, slowly turning around and ending up on his back on top of Sousuke, “this makes us look like a sandwich.”

Sousuke snorts. “Oi, stop that — I don’t want your fucking butt against my crotch.”

“You don’t?”

There’s a teasing tone to Haru’s deadpan that Sousuke absolutely  _despises —_ ahem, secretly  _loves_  — and the mischievous glint he sees in Haru’s eyes as his boyfriend turns his head to look up at him is so hard to miss. Fucking bastard. He even wiggles his goddamn perfect ass against Sousuke to spite him, which makes Sousuke just want flip them around and have Haru on his back, either kissing or completely devouring him.

“Shut up”, Sousuke grumbles. “Just get rid of that goddamn dolphin for tonight at least. I’m cuddle-deprived, help me out.”

Haru raises his eyebrows in disbelief, but relents nonetheless. The dolphin ends up on Sousuke’s side of the bed again, and Haru turns back around to lie on his stomach on top of Sousuke. “Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks for making a sacrifice, that means a lot to me. I feel special.”

“ _You_  shut up”, Haru says, and Sousuke laughs.

Fingers threading through Haru’s hair, Sousuke lies down with his eyes closed, enjoying the silence, occasionally interrupted by cars going by outside their window. He enjoys feeling his heartbeat against Haru’s, how their breathing often ends up becoming completely synced after the two of them having laid like this for a while. He loves how despite not really doing anything, the two of them can still enjoy the other’s presence, each other’s company.

“Tired yet?” Sousuke mumbles, almost falling asleep himself. Haru shuffles a bit, but doesn’t move from his spot.

“Yeah. We should probably sleep soon.”

“Good idea, I’m about to pass out. Turn off the light, I’m too lazy to reach.”

Haru stretches an arm out with a little groan, and fumbles on the nighstand for a few seconds before the light’s turned off. He snuggles his cheek against Sousuke’s chest, letting out a sound that almost sounds like a cat purring, and Sousue laughs.

“Weirdo.”

“Love you, too.”

The two of them fall asleep within minutes, and the dolphin stays on Sousuke’s side throughout the night. In the morning, Sousuke gets up earlier, gently rolling Haruka off of him, and he takes the plush dolphin off of his side of the bed, putting it in the chair by their desk instead.

First and last time he lets an inanimate object rob him of his side of the bed, that’s for sure.


	68. MakoRei #15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Embarrassed boyfriends after really good sex.**
> 
> Asked by: [alien-mind-witch](http://alien-mind-witch.tumblr.com).

Rei tilts his head back, riding out his orgasm with eyes fluttered shut and lips parted in a state of ecstasy. A breathy moan sounding more like a hiss seeps out from his mouth, and then Makoto comes, too, a little louder in volume and harder in thrusts, making Rei nearly yelp in surprise.

He practically collapses down onto his side of the bed, and he watches Makoto slowly sit up to get rid of the condom in the little bin by the desk. Makoto lies down again and sighs contentedly, and it’s as if the spell on them finally,  _finally_ , breaks at that point. All of a sudden, Rei is overcome with a sense of embarrassment, and he pulls the duvet over himself.

They lie down like that for a while, not really saying anything. Hell, Rei doesn’t  _dare_  say anything, scared of breaking the post-coital silence that almost feels like a magic spell on them. Because holy  _cow_ , that had been some amazing sex, to put it lightly. They’ve had sex plenty of times before, of course — but there was just something about this one time that made Rei feel like he’d just ascended to heaven.

Terrible clichés aside, he really does wonder if there was something new they did, but can’t quite put a finger on  _what_  that would be in that case. And it isn’t like they haven’t had sex in a while, either, they do it pretty regularly when they’re not too tired from work. Rei loves it when they’re a  _little_  tired, when it’s just really slow, tender love-making that takes a long time but leaves Rei feeling exhilarated nonetheless.

As amazing as that had been, though, Rei can’t bring himself to even look his boyfriend in the face. He feels like that might break the spell, too, and that he’s going to spontaneously self-combust and burn the entire apartment down in doing so. And when he feels a finger, two fingers, reach for his hand, he tentatively reaches out and takes Makoto’s hand, interlacing their fingers slowly.

“You okay?” Makoto asks, finally breaking that silence, that magic spell. No, the spell doesn’t feel broken, it’s just the silence so far. Rei exhales slowly.

“Yes, I’m fine. You?”

“Same here. That was… that was good.”

Rei looks up at the ceiling and hums in agreement. He stares at the fan blades rotating above their heads on medium speed, generating enough air to leave the room in a cool, comfortable temperature.

Makoto reaches over the side of the bed to discard his condom, and then he lies down again with a sigh. A little hesitant, Rei decides to scoot closer to his boyfriend and lean his head on Makoto’s chest. Makoto brings a hand up to run his fingers through Rei’s hair, and the silence around them now feels a little less uncomfortable. Bearable, if you will.

"Man, my body’s  _still_  tingling”, Makoto blurts out, and Rei snorts out a laugh. It isn’t beautiful in the least bit, but he couldn’t care less right now. It’s okay if things aren’t textbook example perfect, because to him, things are already perfect as they are, to them. To him.

Finally having restored the majority of his normal self, Rei gets off of Makoto and stretches out a hand. “We should take a shower, and then get some sleep. We both have to get up early, after all.”

Makoto whines. “Just a little longer. This is nice, and I’m too lazy to get up just yet.” He grabs Rei’s upper arm and gently pulls him down again, upon which Rei has no other choice but to relent. Makoto isn’t going to let him go, and while Rei  _really_  feels like he should get a shower, he also doesn’t mind lying like this a few minutes extra.

“Fine”, he says and sighs in resignation, and Makoto grins triumphantly as Rei lies down again.

Leaning his head on Makoto’s chest again, Rei listens to his boyfriend’s heartbeat, feels Makoto’s chest heave up and down beneath his head. It’s nice, just lying like this and enjoying each other’s company. Thankfully, that awkward silence has dissipated, leaving them in a comfortable kind instead.

“Love you”, Makoto murmurs into Rei’s hair. He smiles to himself.

“I know. I love you, too.”

And then he finally,  _finally_ , manages to convince Makoto to take a shower, with the compromise that they do it together.


	69. SouHaru #27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke and Haru are watching a scary film. The power goes out, and they hear strange noises.**
> 
> Asked by: [zuzusc](http://zuzusc.tumblr.com).

The computer animated monster moves across the screen so slowly Haru feels like he’s going to fall asleep. Is this supposed to be a  _scary_  film? To be fair, he’s never really been scared of these types of films before —  _Makoto_ ’s the one often clinging to Haru with a death grip, trembling with fear and almost whimpering like a dog.

So when he’s got an even  _bigger_  man next to him clutching the hem of his shirt and occasionally twitching but never saying anything out loud, Haru doesn’t know what to think. Sousuke and Makoto can be so similar, but also so very different. Sousuke seems to be the silent type of scared, while Makoto’s more than willing to let others know just how frightened he is.

Haru groans in slight frustration as he watches the male protagonist walk into a room without even turning the lights on. He feels like they’re really setting things up in a dumb and far too obvious way in films. What if monsters could be scared of the  _darkness_  instead, and absolutely thrive in bright conditions? Now that would be a plot twist Haru’s willing to see. Not that he ever thinks he will.

“ _Keiko, where are you?!_ ” the man hisses far too loudly, as if she’s ever going to hear him since she’s  _upstairs_ , he’s  _downstairs_ , and the monster is literally five feet away from him at this point. He should probably keep his mouth shut if he values his life. Haru snorts and rolls his eyes. There’s a slight movement next to him as Sousuke shifts on the couch.

“You’re not scared?” he asks.

“No.”

“Wanna watch something else, then?”

_That’s just your excuse to get out of watching a film you’re scared of_ , Haru thinks to himself. “It’s fine. We’ve already watched half of it, anyway.”

Sousuke hesitantly glances back at the screen, the tiniest hint of a pout showing on his face, which makes Haru almost want to laugh. He continues watching the film with great disinterest, Sousuke still stubbornly clutching the hem of his shirt.

Honestly, Haru doesn’t have to watch the rest of this, because he knows how it’s going to go. The reckless guy is going to get himself killed first, and then the woman’s either going to get chased by the monster until she somehow escapes the house — which isn’t even  _locked_ , and neither are the windows — or she’s going to die some kind of tragic death which ends the film on an abrupt note.

He yawns, stretches his upper body a bit. It’s been thundering for a while, and the hard rain has yet to let up, having been ongoing since before they started the film. The bad weather was the reason as to why they ended up like this in the first place, after all. Otherwise, Haru would’ve probably spent the most of his day at the communal pool.

When the soon-to-be-dead guy on screen hesitantly peers around a corner and spots the bear slash dog looking creature, the screen flashes, and the lights flicker around them. Seconds later, the TV turns itself off, and the lights go out. Sousuke flinches sharply, even startling Haru a bit, who glares at him.

“What? It’s just a power outage. Don’t tell me you’re  _scared_ , Sousuke”, he drawls, and Sousuke snorts despite his frightened appearance.

“I’m not scared, idiot. What’s there to be—”

A loud, roaring thunder nearly shakes the windows, and Sousuke jumps again. This time, Haru can’t help but laugh. “Cute.”

"I’m not cute, I’m a man”, Sousuke grumbles.

“Oh, so men can’t be cute. Loving the logic.”

Thankfully, Sousuke doesn’t make an attempt to save his statement with more mind-numbing excuses, and the two of them sit there in silence, waiting for their power to return. It’s nice, actually; Haru likes listening to the rain pattering against the window, hearing the wind blow eerily outside. It just makes him a little sad knowing he can’t go out to the pool, because he’d probably blow away in the wind if he attempted to even take a step outside.

Eventually, his boyfriend seems to grow bored of being so on edge, and the horror film must’ve left his memory already, as Sousuke relaxes and leans his head against Haruka’s. He takes his phone out of his pocket and starts playing some game Haru isn’t paying attention to. He’s tempted to go and find a few candles and his sketchpad to do  _something_  other than just sitting around.

His growing desires to draw soon enough give him the energy to get off of the couch, lightly pushing Sousuke off of him in doing so. He ambles into the kitchen and finds a few candles and a lighter in one of the drawers. In the hallway just by the stairs, he finds his pencils and sketchpad on the mirror table that he brings with him back into the living room.

"Drawing?  _Now_?” Sousuke questions with a raised eyebrow as Haru sits down again to light the candles and put them in the candle holder.

“Yes. Why not? If I can’t watch TV or go outside, let me draw.”

Sousuke shrugs, but then grins when Haru’s lit the candles and sits on the couch again with his legs crossed under him. “Draw me.”

“’ _Like one of your French girls_ ’?” Haru deadpans, and Sousuke snorts.

“Fine, be that way.”

Just before Haru starts sketching, Sousuke takes the opportunity to pul his boyfriend towards him, Haru settling in between his legs with his back resting against Sousuke’s chest. Instead of crossing his legs, Haru pulls them up halfway to have them act as his table when he draws.

 

* * *

 

They sit like that for a while in comfortable silence, Haru drawing and Sousuke playing games on his phone. Haru snickers when he hears his boyfriend swear under his breath, but other than that, there’s no big disturbance in the peace and quiet around them.

Well, peace and quiet until there’s a weird noise outside that doesn’t sound like the wind, or thunder, for that matter. It’s probably not even weather-related to begin with, and Haru immediately feels how Sousuke tenses up behind and around him, his arms hugging Haru a little tighter and him just seeming like he’s awaiting the zombie apocalypse.

“It’s probably nothing, Sousuke”, Haru says, not even looking up from the sketch he’s working on. But Sousuke, of course, isn’t convinced.

“It’s obviously not  _nothing_. We should check.”

“You mean  _I_  should”, Haru states, and Sousuke slaps him lightly on the arm.

“I can go. If you don’t want to, that is. It’s just that you’re sitting in a better position to go check, that’s all.”

Haru rolls his eyes and gets up. It sounds like someone’s having a yelling match outside, and he figures it might just be his neighbours or something. But it doesn’t sound like they’re actually  _arguing_ , as he doesn’t hear any actual words, just incoherent yelling.

He doesn’t even have to actually go to the window to identify the source of said yelling, because he’s already figured out what it is. He and Makoto have heard it so many times outside of their houses over the past few years, and it surprises him that he didn’t think of this sooner. He does walk over there, though, just to shut his scaredy-cat of a boyfriend up. Said boyfriend tentatively follows him to the window by the door, and when they look out, as Haru thought, they see two cats in what looks like a Mexican stand-off, ‘yelling’ at each other.

The weather’s let up for the most part, and now it’s just dark out, the ground wet. Haru’s surprised that the cats are willingly standing out there, letting their paws get wet, but he's not one to ever question the logic of cats.

“Oh”, Sousuke says, whose chin is resting on top of Haru’s head. “Just cats, huh. You don’t seem surprised.”

“This happens every once in a while”, Haru replies with a shrug. “Makoto was scared the first time he heard it, too. Though he was probably eight or nine at that time, so—”

“I wasn’t  _scared_ ”, Sousuke retorts. “I was just startled, is all. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I’ve never heard anything like that before.”

Haru snorts and turns around. “You were scared of the film, at least. I bet you’re glad you won’t be sleeping alone tonight, huh.”

“Fuck you”, Sousuke bites back, but there’s no force behind his words.

The power returns not too long after, and the two are able to at least take a shower before bed without having to use a flashlight.

Haruka knows it isn’t his imagination when he feels Sousuke snuggle up closer than usual in bed that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scaredy cat Sousuke + cats. Yeah, I may love puns, but I'm terrible with them.


	70. SouHaru #28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke's worried; Haru's been in the bath tub for a long time, and the food's getting cold.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Before Sousuke found out, he found it normal for Haru to soak in the tub for longer than most normal people do. Well, that’s not to say Haru isn’t  _normal_ , this most certainly doesn’t exclude him from ‘normal people’ in any way. He’s unique, that’s probably a better way to put it without making it sound like it’s a bad thing.

The thing is, it isn’t just the bath tub; it can be in bed, by the kotatsu, when they’re out and about doing things, either just the two of them or with others — it can happen whenever and wherever. But the fact that it can happen when Haru’s in the bath tub is what scares Sousuke the most, for obvious reasons.

To make it up to his boyfriend for all the times Haru’s cooked for him, Sousuke offered to cook tonight. Haru had been suspicious at first, but Sousuke guaranteed that he’d still get what he wanted. Well, maybe not in the form he’d expect, but the core ingredient will stay the same as the one he desires far too often. So that  _should_ , in theory, mean Sousuke’s still in the safe zone.

He checks the flavour of the miso before he puts in the second half of it to make sure it won’t punch them in the face later. He  _has_  cooked for Haru before, several times, in fact, but even if he were to cook every night for months, he doesn’t feel like he’d catch up. Hell, Haru even cooked for him when they were still young, when Sousuke had visited Haru one day in middle school.

Sousuke winces at the thought. Haru’s been living pretty much on his own ever since back then, since middle school. He’s glad he’s never actually met Haruka’s parents, because he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to hold back the angry thoughts, opinions and ugly words he has for them. Nothing he said would still ever be enough to express just how disgusted, disappointed and angry he is at them for what they’ve done to Haruka, their actions having had devastating effects on the man they still legally and biologically have the right to call their son.

“Haruka, dinner’s ready”, he announces loudly to make sure Haru hears him all the way in from the kitchen. He usually does, wherever he is in the house, so Sousuke should hear a response soon.

When he sets the table, he still has yet to hear anything from his boyfriend. Sousuke frowns in concern as he puts down the spoons and chopstick on the table, before making his way out into the hallway near the back of the house where the bathroom is. He doesn’t even hear the water splash in the tub, which it normally would if Haru noticed him coming.

“Haruka, I’m coming in”, he says in a soft voice as he stands by the door, not having knocked first. He waits a few seconds, and when there’s no reply, he opens the door and walks in.

Haruka’s sitting in the bath tub, shoulders hunched, chin resting on his knees, arms hugging his knees tightly. He’s staring at the wall in front of him, and the little blue toy dolphin is bobbing up and down next to him in the water. Sousuke walks up to the tub and puts a finger in to check the temperature. It isn’t even lukewarm anymore, but Sousuke knows now he probably shouldn’t have expected Haru to fill up with more warm water as it got cold.

“Dinner’s ready”, he says as he sits down on his knees next to the tub. “Want me to help you get out?”

Normally, Haru would glare up at him and reject any kind of help to get out of the bath tub when he’s perfectly capable of doing it himself, of taking care of himself. It’s been a habit of his since long before he and Sousuke started hanging out again, and eventually started dating. Sousuke wonders just how many times Makoto’s had his outstretched hand rejected by Haru, but he’s never said anything about it, never complained even once.

Makoto dealt with it with a wide and bright smile on his face. No matter how hard Sousuke tries, he can’t. He can’t help but let his exterior mirror the worry he feels within; a thick, mudlike substance that’s hard for him to swallow, to cope with. Would he leave Haru because of this? No, never; he wouldn’t even dare  _dreaming_  of abandoning Haru.

And it isn’t just because of Haru’s tendencies to space out, to shut others out, to lose himself in his dark thoughts for various lengths of time. It’s because Sousuke doesn’t know who he  _is_  without Haruka. Even without these things. Everything about Haru makes him feel whole, but Haru begs to differ on that one. Of course he does; Haru values everyone around him above himself, much like pretty everyone else they know. Sousuke included. Haru just has a different way of showing it, of  _doing_  it.

 

* * *

 

Haruka doesn’t move a muscle when Sousuke tries to reach out to him, not even when Sousuke gets up from the floor to hook his hands under Haru’s arms to help him get up. Sousuke drapes one of Haru’s arms around his shoulders as he proceeds to carry him bridal style out of the bathroom. He notices Haru clinging a little to him as he walks out, water dripping from Haru’s body and swim trunks as Sousuke walks into the bedroom instead.

He sits Haru down onto the bed and wraps one of their bigger towels around him to make sure he doesn’t make everything around him soaking wet. When he’s done, Sousuke sits down next to Haruka and takes him into his embrace, still not saying anything. Their food is probably getting cold and soggy on the table, but Sousuke could really not care less about that right now.

“I’m here”, he murmurs, running a hand slowly up and down Haru’s back, warming him up, reassuring him that he’s there and that he won’t leave. Sousuke won’t say he’ll  _never_  leave; that isn’t something he can say for certain. Leaving can mean different things, too, and one of them is something he can’t assure Haruka will never happen, because it will — whether they like it or not.

Haru’s rigid stature slowly softens, and he leans into Sousuke’s embrace with a tiny sigh that tells Sousuke he’s beyond exhausted. He plants a kiss to Haru’s temple and tries to smile a little. He doesn’t have to make things worse than they probably already are for Haru.

“Get some sleep, Haruka”, he says. This isn’t a suggestion, nor is it a command, it’s more of a recommendation. He can see that Haru needs it, and he knows it’ll probably help to clear Haru’s mental grey, cloudy skies a bit.

Thankfully, Haru lets Sousuke help him into bed and drape the duvet over him. Sousuke lies down beside him and runs his fingers through Haruka’s hair until he’s fallen asleep. He then goes out to take care of everything but a portion for himself, which has definitely gotten cold by now, but it isn’t anything that won’t be inedible after having been microwaved.

When he’s finished dinner and done the dishes, Sousuke goes back into the bedroom and lies down beside Haru again. Haru’s still asleep, but he seems to be having everything but a peaceful rest. His eyes flicker under his eyelids, small sounds are heard from his throat, and he’s twitching every now and then. Sousuke embraces him until Haru calms down again, and then he ends up falling asleep, too.

Sousuke will never be able to  _fix_  Haru, but he’ll still always do all he can to make things better, if only for the moment.


	71. SouHaru #29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke is a famous YouTuber, and Haru is head over heels (but doesn't admit it, god he even rewatches videos just to listen his voice dammit). Until he one days actually meets him, and Sousuke contemplates the hottest fan he's probably ever met, and wonders if it's okay to take him on dates with the rest of the media knowing.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com).

His finger hovers over the trackpad, a slight tremble — what the  _hell_ , Nanase, get yourself together, it’s just a  _video —_ and he bites his lower lip, taking a deep breath through his nose.  _He’s_  uploaded a video again. It’s a song featured on an album he’s about to release within the next few weeks, and Haru’s already listened to the preview twice.

Well, maybe four times, but no one needs to know that. Thank god he doesn’t share his laptop with anyone else.

Haru clicks on the video, and then he’s instantly met with those weirdly blue eyes. (Teal? Really? Either those are contacts, or he’s just good at video editing. Probably the latter.) His breath hitches in his throat when Yamazaki Sousuke begins to sing, fingers strumming on his dark-brown Gibson. He looks like he’s in a trance — much like the one Haru feels like he’s in whenever he listens to that amazing voice. 

He’s a pastry shop owner by day, but somewhat of a social media nerd after dinner time, and especially during weekends. Haru would die before he admitted to anyone of his internet ‘activities’ (yes, sometimes of  _that_  kind, too, but that’s why incognito mode is a good thing to have), knowing that both Rin and Nagisa would tease him to his grave about it.

Whenever Sousuke looks at the screen, Haru feels like Sousuke’s staring straight at him, and it’s the weirdest feeling ever — because of  _course_  he isn’t. He’s looking into the lens of a camera, aiming those flirtatious looks at his female fans. There’s no way in hell someone like this guy… likes guys. Right? It’s just Haru’s weird and far too unrealistic fantasies, as usual. One of his biggest unrealistic fantasies had been to become an Olympic swimmer back in the day, and now look at him. Pining after a YouTube celebrity. Good job, Haruka.

The video ends, and the pause button turns into a replay button. Haru’s tempted to click it, tempted to watch the video again, listen to Sousuke’s voice again, see his face—

He flinches when the phone rings on the desk next to him, and he swallows a cuss word as he picks it up to answer.

“Yes?”

“ _Oi, Haru, come down to ITSC. Let’s race_.”

Haru rolls his eyes and looks at his wristwatch. “It’s almost dinner time, Rin. Did you have  _that_  bad of a day at work?”

“ _Shut up, Haru. Just come, okay? I’ll treat you to dinner afterwards._ ”

“I can’t race on an empty stomach.”

“ _Jeez! Alright, but just come down here and we’ll eat anyway. Without racing. You still owe me a race, though_.”

Haru sighs. “Fine.”

Rin is just a  _little_  grumpy over the fact that Haru turned him down when they meet for dinner. And no, dinner isn’t on Rin, Haru has to pay for it himself. Not that he minds, really, as long as he gets his mackerel, rice and miso.

“Seriously, Haru — you have to start changing up that diet of yours”, Rin says, still chewing on a piece of chicken from his oyakodon.

“You’re one to talk”, Haru replies and rudely points at Rin’s bowl with his chopsticks. “That can’t be much healthier than what I eat.”

Rin snorts. “Okay, first of all — I’m an Olympic athlete. I have to eat a lot of food for my muscles and a bunch of other stuff. Second of all, this is actually good food.”

“And this isn’t?”

“Hell no! I can’t believe Makoto still willingly comes over to your place and has dinner with you several times a week.”

Haru rolls his eyes. Makoto’s never really  _complained_  about his food other than saying the same thing Rin had begun with, that he should try and change things up a bit. But he’s pretty sure Makoto doesn’t say anything because he can be fed whenever he wants to without having to cook. And Haru’s pretty sure that everyone in Iwatobi knows by now just how bad of a cook Makoto is.

“He’s never said anything about it”, he says, and Rin raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, because you don’t bite the hand that feeds you, idiot. Of  _course_  he’s not gonna say anything, because that means he won’t get free food from you. And while I do think you should change things up, there’s no denying the fact that you can cook. But you should still consider changing things up.”

“I’ll think about it”, Haru says with a shrug, but both he and Rin know that’s not gonna happen.

 

* * *

 

With Rin living in the opposite direction of the restaurant, the two of them go their separate ways right outside. Rin makes Haru promise to  _not_  turn down a race next time Rin asks, and then he’s gone. Haru puts his in-ear headphones in before he starts walking back home.

Usually, Haru really likes the peace and quiet around him, even as he walks home alone. But then there are some days when it  _isn’t_  even peacefully quiet around him, so he might just as well drown out the sound with music he enjoys listening to.

He gets so immersed in his music that he stops paying attention to his surroundings. And of course—

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” a brusque voice barks at him a little bit over his head, and Haru realises he’s just walked straight into another person.

“Sorry”, he mutters. The guy he’s just bumped into turns around, and when he does, Haru feels like someone just punctured his lung.

“A daydreamer, huh?” the tall man says. “You should be glad I’m not an ass who decides to pick a fight with people just because they walk into me. I could’ve been, though.”

“Yeah, er, sorry”, Haruka stammers, his heart hammering in his throat. “Are you… I mean, aren’t you—”

“What?” He seems impatient; maybe Haru should just drop it. He’s probably a busy person even outside of his YouTube activities, what does Haru know about those things?

“Never mind. Sorry for walking into you, I didn’t mean to.”

 _Though it sure was a weird coincidence_ , he thinks. Yamazaki lives  _here?_ In tiny, insignificant, boring Iwatobi? How on Earth hasn’t Haru seen him around before? Maybe he’s just on a visit, a relative living in the area? God, the person who gets to be related to Yamazaki Sousuke…

No, Haru wouldn’t want that for himself. He’d want something that wouldn’t connect them by blood. Something a little more exciting than family dinners, New Years gatherings, birthday celebrations… though he’d be fine with that, too—

Wait,  _what_? Since when did he think creepy thoughts like these? He sounds like the typical kind of stalker that knows where the object of his desires lives, where they go out to eat and whatnot.

Well, now Haru at least knows Sousuke lives in Iwatobi, so there’s that.

“’S fine”, Sousuke replies with a shrug. “Hey, bit of a weird question, but do you possibly have a five hundred yen bill on you? I’m about to meet someone whom I owe money for lunch the other day, and I forgot my goddamn credit card back at home. You seem like a reliable guy. And of course, I’d pay you back ASAP.”

Haru immediately begins rummaging through his pockets for the little wad of bills he keeps there. He’s not much of a wallet person, and Makoto’s always surprised he has yet to be mugged or drop everything he keeps loose in his pockets. But really, what’s the difference of keeping a wallet with everything in it in your pocket, or having it all loose? It’s still in the same pocket, isn’t it?

“Sure, I have… I have a few”, he says. He unrolls his little wad and takes out a five hundred yen bill to give to Sousuke. He’s lending out money to a YouTube celebrity? What next, pigs flying over their heads? Suddenly that doesn’t seem so unlikely anymore.

“Thanks”, Sousuke says. “You live in the area?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, then that makes things a lot easier. Give me your arm and I’ll write my number on it. I don’t have a piece of paper on me. Unless you do?”

Haru shakes his head, and Sousuke motions for him to stretch out his arm. A bit baffled, he does as he’s told, and Sousuke pulls out a pen from his pocket. Of course he’s carrying those around, he must have tons of people coming up to him every time he’s outside, asking for his autograph or something. But to get his  _phone number_ …

Well, it’s probably to a disposable card Sousuke’s going to stop using afterwards — anything else would just be weird. Him giving out his  _actual_  phone number to strangers,  _fans_ , even (wait, Sousuke doesn’t know that), wouldn’t happen. He shakes the thought off as Sousuke finishes writing his phone number on Haru’s wrist. He’s pretty sure he’ll never wash that off, even if he’d try calling or texting it in a few days and it wouldn’t go through.

“Right, there we go”, Sousuke says and puts his pen away again. “Sorry about this. Good thing your mind was elsewhere, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have found someone to ask.”

Haru frowns a little, suddenly embarrassed.”It was nothing. Glad I could… help.”

Sousuke grins at him. “Well, I’d better go before I’ll  _really_  get my head bitten off for being late again. I’ll call you soon, er…”

“Haru”, he says.

“Right. Haru”, Sousuke confirms. “Well, I’m Sousuke. Though I have a feeling that’s what you were going to ask earlier.”

Haru opens his mouth to defend his obsessiveness, but he doesn’t know just  _how_  to, so he drops it. Before he knows it, Sousuke’s off. Haru exhales a long breath and closes his eyes. Maybe he should go buy himself lottery tickets considering his weird luck today.

 

* * *

 

It takes a few days, but Sousuke  _does_ call him. Being the weird guy he is, Haru had already programmed Sousuke’s number into his phone, so he knew who’d be calling instead of rejecting unknown numbers like he usually does. Those goddamn telemarketers never seem to wanna leave him alone.

“ _Yo, so it’s Sousuke here again_ ”, Sousuke greets him on the other end of the line. “ _Are you free today?_ ”

“Y-yeah”, Haru replies, shutting his TV off. As if he’s got something to be embarrassed about when it’s just his TV and not music or anything else in the background. He wonders if he and Sousuke have similar tastes in music, not wanting to base it on the kind of music Sousuke  _produces_  alone. Maybe he’s a heavy metal guy? Somehow that seems kind of fitting.

“ _Oh, good. Right, so you know the sushi slash udon place down by the pier?Could you meet me there? We can have lunch or something, unless you’ve already eaten_.”

“I, er, I haven’t.” Haru looks at the mackerel he’s defrosting in his sink, and shrugs. Restaurant food sounds like a better idea. “When will you be there?”

“ _I can be there at half past one, I don’t live too far away. You?_ ”

“Half past one sounds good. I’ll be there around then, too.”  _Probably earlier_.

“ _Great, see you soon. I’ll be wearing a dark-blue cap and pilot sunglasses. Don’t want people coming up to me in public today — I slept like shit_.”

Haru resists a laugh. Sousuke hangs up, and he immediately begins stressing out about what to wear. It’s just a  _lunch meet_ , nothing big. Except it  _is_  big, because Haru’s about to have lunch with a friggin’ celebrity. Someone who’s got hundreds of thousands of subscribers on YouTube, someone who obviously has people coming up to him in public — why else would he try to disguise himself? — of course this is a big thing.

Having spent far too much time nearly buried in his closet, Haru finally decides on a white and blue striped v-neck with semi-long sleeves, and a pair of khaki shorts with his white sneakers. At this point, he’s so tired of picking out clothing and just staring at it that he doesn’t care whether or not it’s too casual for this type of meeting. Honestly, whatever. It isn’t like he’s going to see Sousuke again — this is just because Sousuke owes him money.

But having lunch together just because of it seems a little much, doesn’t it? He could just hand over the one paper bill and then leave, that makes things a lot easier on the both of them. Not that Haru would  _prefer_  that, of course, he’s just thinking of what would be most convenient for Sousuke’s most definitely packed schedule.

 

* * *

 

When he walks inside the little diner-looking place five minutes before their meeting time, Sousuke has yet to arrive. He sighs in relief as he takes a table by the window, sitting down to wait. Maybe Sousuke thinks he’s going to be standing  _outside_  and wait? He should probably send a text to let him know Haru’s already inside. Would Sousuke find it weird that he’s early?

He doesn’t have much time to ponder it before a tall man wearing a dark-blue baseball cap pulled down nearly all the way over his pilot sunglasses. Haru’s heart skips a beat as he lifts his hand in a half-assed wave. Sousuke nods in acknowledgement and makes his way over, sitting down in front of Haru.

“Hey. Did you wait long?”

Haru shakes his head. “Just got here.”

“Good, I’d feel terrible if I kept you waiting when I’m the one who owes you money.”

“Lunch was a little much just for having borrowed five hundred yen, though”, Haru comments, and Sousuke laughs a little.

“Well, I don’t mind if you don’t.”

Haru doesn’t.

The two of them order their food and make small-talk whilst waiting. It’s obvious Sousuke isn’t normally the talkative type but that he’s trying to be, and it’s a nice surprise. Even still, Haru wants to tell him to not make too much effort, because he’s the same. The result is a very stilted conversation, but oddly enough, Haru likes it.

(Honestly, he just enjoys hearing Sousuke’s voice, and it doesn’t matter that Sousuke isn’t singing.)

“So, Haru”, Sousuke says after swallowing some of his beef broth udon, “what do you do for a living?”

“I own a pastry shop”, he replies simply. “It’s a pretty small one, I don’t know if you’ve seen it.”

Sousuke hums, sounding interested. “What’s the name of it?”

“Seven rapids”, Haru says, and Sousuke actually  _laughs_. A heavenly, godlike laugh Haru wishes he could record and listen to on repeat.

“Why seven?”

Haru shrugs. “It’s something my best friend came up with a few years ago, kind of a play on… er, the kanji of my last name.”

Well, this wasn’t information he thought he’d give to someone like Yamazaki Sousuke. Seems this guy has the power to make Haru babble on more than he usually would (he doesn’t normally babble to begin with) for some reason. Haru doesn’t know whether he likes it or not.

“So… Hayase? No, wait — there was a seven in there. Hm… Nanase?” When Haru nods, Sousuke smiles. “I like that. It sounds cool, especially with your first name.”

Ignoring the slight burn in his cheeks, Haru doesn’t feel the need to tell Sousuke that ‘Haru’ isn’t his full name. It isn’t something he wants others to call him, anyway, and even though Sousuke is  _Sousuke_ , Haru doesn’t want to make an exception just for him.

“Thanks”, Haru mumbles in response. “I… I like your name, too. Well, both names.”

Sousuke laughs at Haru’s clumsiness, but it doesn’t sound like he’s laughing to tease, thankfully. “Where is this ‘Seven rapids’ located? You’ve got me curious now. What’s your reputation?”

“Right down the street from the family mart, opposite of the pet store. It’s… well, we get enough customers to get by. And a lot of them come back.”

“Sounds good enough to me. I might just drop by once, maybe twice.”

Haru’s heart skips at those words, and he swallows. “You’re more than welcome”, he says.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke  _does_  actually drop by a few days later, although in yet another weird disguise. Haru still recognises him, though; it’s in those insanely broad shoulders and muscular arms Sousuke’s doing a poor job of hiding under those clothes. He  _has_  to be a swimmer — those muscles aren’t built just from working out at the gym. Haru knows, he’s been a swimmer before, himself, and still does swim every now and then, but just leisurely.

And whenever Rin wants to race him, of course.

“I have the worst hangover”, Sousuke mutters to him when Haru makes his way over. “Give me a double espresso to start with.”

“Anything to eat?” Haru asks, and Sousuke looks up at him. He still hasn’t removed his sunglasses despite being inside, but now Haru knows why. He holds back a laugh.

“Uh… give me your menu and I’ll come back to you.”

Haru nods and hands Sousuke one of the laminated menus before he’s off to the coffee machine. It’s a rather slow day at work, thankfully, and his co-worker Nagisa has plenty of time to sit around and play games on his phone. He’s not too bad of a worker otherwise, anyway, and customers seem to take a liking to him pretty fast. He’s good with people, and that’s a good thing when you’re working in a café. Too bad Haru isn’t much like that, but at least he’s got Nagisa to make up for what he lacks.

Having received and immediately downed his double espresso, Sousuke eventually decides on a simple plate of omurice. It’s not what Haru would consider a hangover cure, but he isn’t one to argue. It takes him less than ten minutes, and then Sousuke’s presented with a steaming plate with a rather large omelet filled with the tomato sauce rice, mushrooms, chicken and vegetables.

“This  _is_  good”, Sousuke says between mouthfuls, as if he’s surprised. “How long have you been cooking?”

Haru shrugs. “Since I was pretty young. I lived on my own for the most part, so I had to learn how to fend for myself.”

He doesn’t want to elaborate much on it, and he’s glad when Sousuke doesn’t ask him to, either. They make smalltalk for a bit before Sousuke finishes his food and puts adequate — and more — money on the table.

“I’ve gotta run, but thanks for the food. I’ll come back, definitely.”

Haru picks up the money and digs through the pocket of his apron for change, but Sousuke puts up a hand, stopping him.

“Keep it. I’m—”

Sousuke stops himself as he looks out the window. He rolls his eyes and pulls the cap further down over his eyes. “Been spotted… gotta go. Thanks again.”

Haru doesn’t even have time to thank his customer before he leaves, a few people with cameras following after him.  _Oh — journalists_ , Haru thinks. Of course, how had he already forgotten that Sousuke’s a famous person?

Later that evening as Haru and Nagisa are cleaning up and getting ready to lock up for the day, the door to the pastry shop swings open once again. Haru sighs, hearing it all the way from the kitchenette, and he steps out to tell them to get out.

“Sorry, we’re closed for—”

“Haru”, a voice says, out of breath, and his eyebrows skyrocket when he sees who it is. “I… fuck. I wanted to ask you something. I know it’s sudden, and probably weird, but— ah, goddamn it!”

Sousuke’s phone rings halfway through his sentence, and he curses as he takes it out of his pocket. “Can  _never_  get a fucking break around here — I don’t know how people who are famous for better things than a goddamn video site do it”, he sighs in annoyance. “Anyway. Would you… go on a date with me sometime? Oh, I didn’t even think to ask if you’re… I mean, into guys in the first place. Are you?”

Haru blinks a few times at the sudden outburst of questions, and he can’t help but laugh. Sousuke looks at him, offended. “What?”

“I’m sorry”, Haru says, taking a deep breath to stop his laughter from continuing on. “I would love to. I just didn’t think you, er, dated—”

“Fans, you mean? Are you a fan?”

Haru frowns, both at Sousuke’s boldness, hubris and at how right he always seems to be when guessing things. “Don’t think too highly of yourself, Yamazaki. But… you do have a nice voice.”

 _Oh, like THAT isn’t something he’s heard before. Good going, Nanase_.

Sousuke snorts out a laugh. “Thanks. And I’m glad. Normally I’d probably give a shit about who I’m dating because of media, but I really don’t right now. You’re interesting, and even if media don’t think so, I do. And that’s all that matters. Man, I’m glad I’m not a Hollywood celebrity with bodyguards and all that crap.”

Haru smiles vaguely. “Yeah.”

A few seconds of silence fall between them during which Haru barely even dares to breathe, let alone look up at Sousuke. Eventually, Sousuke clears his throat and closes the distance between them. Before Haru has time to react, a finger is placed under his chin, and Sousuke presses his lips against Haru’s. It’s a fleeting kiss, but Haru’s sure he’ll remember it for eternity, as if it were tattooed onto his lips.

“I’ll call you”, Sousuke murmurs before stepping back. “Or just… drop by, whatever.”

“Looking forward to it”, Haru almost whispers, smiling.

When Sousuke’s out the door again, Haru’s still smiling. He turns around to go back into the kitchenette, and when he does, he’s met by Nagisa.

 _Oh no, Nagisa_. He’d completely forgotten about his co-worker still being in the shop. The shit-eating grin on his face tells Haru he’s been standing there long enough.

“It was him, wasn’t it? That YouTube musician? Good job, Haru-chan!” he chirps, and Haru closes his eyes.

“Nagisa. Not a word to anyone.”

“Okay, Haru-chan.”

No, there’s a singing, almost teasing tone to Nagisa’s voice; he’s still not in the clear. Haru locks eyes with his friend, making sure to get his point across.

“Promise”, he says, staring Nagisa down until the blond puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

“Fine, I won’t say anything! Do tell me how things progress with Mr. Celebrity, though.”

“I’d rather not”, Haru says.

He can’t resist smiling as he goes back into the kitchen, though. Gladly, Nagisa doesn’t see it.


	72. MakoRin #24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Takes place during both seasons. Rin secretly pining on Makoto, feeling guilty for the gap he left between them when he went to Australia, and feeling like he missed his chance with him. Makoto, on the other hand, feels that he can't reach Rin, he can't get to his level.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“ _Rin, it’s me, Makoto. We… decided to start a swimming club. So you should enter the swimming club, too, so we can swim together again at a tournament_.”

Rin listens to Makoto’s voice message, and his heart sinks. The determination in Makoto’s voice hurts to hear, because it means Makoto’s moved on. Left their past behind, something Rin can’t do no matter how hard he tries. He stares at his phone’s screen until it turns black, and then he hurls his phone into the wall.

Makoto’s swimming again, with Haru. Does that mean he’s gotten over everything that happened during their childhood, the boat accident, for instance, and his crippling fear of the ocean? Does that mean the distance between Rin and Makoto has once again grown?

He does end up joining the Samezuka swimming club, and eventually, they race against Iwatobi. On top of the three members Rin is used to see on his own team, he sees a new guy. On  _Rin’s_  position. His eye twitches with annoyance as he stands by, watching the Iwatobi team in their relay at prefecturals.

Makoto first out, Rin watches him dive into the pool, back in a perfect bow as his hands carve through the surface. Makoto swims with an almost furious pace and strength all the way across both lengths, before he switches off with Nagisa.

When it’s Haru’s turn, and when Rin hears Makoto cheer loudly for Haru, he leaves the pool area. It’s  _always_  been Haru. Rin has always been too stubborn, too late, to try and reach out to Makoto. Haru came first, as he always does, and now there’s nothing Rin can do but stand on the sidelines and watch the love of his life with someone else. Once again, he’s let a chance slip through his fingers, and there’s no way in hell Rin will  _ever_  be able to forgive himself for what he’s done to Makoto, and for him not even trying to fix it.

 

* * *

 

Makoto sees Rin jogging on the beach when they’re at training camp. He’d heard that Samezuka was going to be there at the same time as them, but when he actually  _sees_  Rin, his breath hitches in his throat, and his heart stops. He’s been wanting to just talk to Rin for god knows how long, but Rin either rejects his call or lets it go to voice mail. Makoto almost wants to go to Samezuka just to catch him there, but he knows it’ll probably have the opposite effect on their friendship than the one he wants.

What Makoto notices throughout the year when he sees Rin, either out and about somewhere or when they’re racing, is that Rin seems to always have this sad or slightly angered expression on his face. It makes Makoto sad to see, because he’s used to seeing Rin happy, cheery, always teasing Haru and receiving a pout in response before bursting out in laughter.

Makoto hasn’t heard Rin laugh in  _years_ , he realises.

When they’re just about to compete in nationals and find out about Rin having been kicked off the relay team, Makoto feels like there’s just  _nothing_  they can do for him anymore. They’ve tried countless times during the year to reach out to Rin, but he’s always batted away the hand stretched out to him, and told them off. Once again, Makoto feels like the worst friend in the entire world, unable to help one of his best friends who’s in dire need of help.

When Haru’s finally managed to get through to Rin, with the help of Rei sacrificing his spot on the relay team, Makoto, Nagisa and Haru get to race with Rin once again. It feels just like it did back then, only better. They’ve grown a lot since, and while they still have quite a ways to go to completely restore their friendship, Makoto feels like this could be a good start. Maybe now, he can finally,  _finally_  get closer to Rin again. To get closer to the star he’s always gazing up at, unable to reach out to no matter how close it seems.

 

* * *

 

“Have you guys thought about what you wanna do after graduation?”

It’s raining out, and they’re standing by the pool on the Iwatobi school grounds. Their attempt to surprise Rin with a swim in a pool filled with cherry blossoms had failed miserably due to the unstable weather, and now they’re just standing under an awning and waiting for the rain to let down a bit.

Makoto looks at Rin, who’s standing on the other side of Haru. Haru shrugs.

“Not really.”

“ _Not really_?” Rin responds exasperatedly, and Makoto laughs.

“You’re aiming for the world, right, Rin?”

“Yeah. This summer’s national tournament is my last chance. There’ll be scouts coming, and I’ve got to make sure I’m doing a good job there in order to get where I want to. So… you haven’t thought about what you wanna do?”

Makoto fidgets a little. He’s been trying to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, because to be honest, the future scares him. The thought of leaving Iwatobi scares him, his safe haven, his friends, everything he knows and loves. But he also knows he can’t  _stay_  here, if he wants to become something bigger.

Question is if he’s got the potential to become something bigger in the first place.

“I haven’t really thought of anything”, Makoto responds with an apologetic smile. Haru stays silent, and Rin clicks his tongue. Makoto knows just how big of a thing this is for Rin, and that he probably wants for both Makoto and Haru to take advantage of their potential.

It’s just that Makoto doesn’t feel like he’s got the potential to be up there, shining brightly among those stars he’s so used to just looking up at, Rin and Haru both included. He feels like he’s got no right to be there with them, not to mention even dreaming of being by Rin’s side seems like something he shouldn’t allow himself to do.

Rin has changed a lot since that race at nationals last year. He feels more accessible now, actually picking up when they call him, agreeing to come race with them for fun at ITSC Returns with some of his team members from Samezuka. Makoto’s glad for this change, sure, but he still feels like there’s  _something_  missing.

Something he’s too afraid to deal with on his own.

 

* * *

 

On the night before the national tournament, Rin decides to go talk to Haru. It’s a very nice coincidence that they’re staying at the same hotel, making it a lot easier for him to just go to Haru’s and Makoto’s hotel room and then head back.

_Of course_  Haru and Makoto share a room. Don’t they always? Aren’t they  _still_  attached by the hip to each other, like Siamese twins? If the two of them aren’t dating, they’re doing a good job of making it look like they are. And if they  _are_  dating… well, they’re doing an even better job of keeping it PG, at least in public. No matter how much Rin tries to figure it out, he can’t. With Haru being a big mystery to him still, there’s a missing link in this equation he’s been trying to figure out since… well, last year, to be honest with himself.

When he arrives outside Haru’s and Makoto’s room, banging on the door, he  _definitely_  doesn’t expect the sight he gets to see when the door opens. What he manages to see before it, or  _he_ , disappears, is Makoto completely naked running back into the bathroom, clutching a towel from the bed as he goes.

“What the— Makoto, what the hell are you doing?” he finds himself asking, making sure to close the door behind him.

“I forgot my towel, and Haru was gone when I asked him to bring me one!” Makoto squeaks back in response. Probably absolutely  _mortified_ ; Rin wonders if he should really be here now. If he shouldn’t just leave and pretend like none of this ever happened.

Rin doesn’t leave, however, and just waits until Makoto comes back out, a slightly oversize shirt and a pair of red shorts on, accompanied with the hotel slippers. He looks far too good for someone to be wearing something so casual. Rin clears his throat, feeling his heart hammer in his chest.

“So, Haru’s not here”, he says.

“He must’ve gone out for a run or something while I was in the shower”, Makoto replies with a shrug and sits down on one of the beds.  _Thank god there are separate beds_ , Rin thinks, but quickly disregards the thought; he’s got no business in that, anyway. “He tends to do that when he’s got a lot on his mind.”

“The hell’s that guy  _thinking_ ; tomorrow’s a big day! There’s gonna be a bunch of scouts coming to watch us, to watch  _him_ ,he doesn’t have the time to fool around like this.”

“He’s probably thinking about a lot of things, even if he doesn’t say it out loud.”

Rin frowns and looks out the window. “How the hell am I supposed to know if he isn’t saying anything?”

Makoto laughs, and Rin decides to gather some courage, finally, sitting down next to Makoto. “Listen, I… I’ve wanted to talk to you. For a long time, actually. I’ve just been—”

“Scared?” Makoto suggests, and he smiles, looking apologetic. “Me too. I mean, I’ve wanted to talk to you, too, but… I didn’t know if you wanted to.”

Rin raises an eyebrow. “Why  _wouldn’t_  I want to talk to you?”  _We’re friends, aren’t we?_  is a question that doesn’t leave his lips. He doesn’t want to ask it, because he doesn’t want to use the ‘friend’ word in association with Makoto. He wants something more; feeling greedy, dirty, for it.

“I don’t… know”, Makoto begins slowly. “I just always figured you… were always just interested in Haru. And maybe not in the romantic way — though I wouldn’t blame you if you did — but because… you two are similar. You both have amazing potential to go pretty much wherever you want, and I’m… I’m just—”

“Hang on”, Rin interrupts, putting up a hand in front of him. “You think  _I’m_  interested in Haru? I thought  _you_  were. That’s why I didn’t… talk to you. Because I figured it was you and him.”

_And I didn’t have the right to come in between that_.

Makoto actually laughs, adding onto Rin’s confusion. “Me and Haru? No, I could never. Haru and I are like brothers, that would never work out. I—”

“I like you”, Rin blurts out, and he wants to immediately sink through the floor when he realises what he’s just said. The childish excitement upon hearing that Makoto  _isn’t_  dating Haru completely took over his brain, leaving him in no control whatsoever of his own mental or physical functions. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if he were to  _jump_  Makoto right about now.

“You… you do?”

Rin heaves a sigh. “Yeah. Shit… I didn’t— I wanted that to come out better. I like you, Makoto. I always have. I just thought it wasn’t a mutual thing. That you liked Haru.”

There’s a few seconds of silence, and Rin doesn’t know how to take said silence. Is Makoto surprised? Disgusted? Scared? He has no idea. He’s too scared to look at Makoto right now, all he can do is stubbornly stare down at his hands in his lap whilst waiting for Makoto to say something. Anything, really, even if it’s a rejection in the end.

Because why on Earth would someone like  _Makoto_  want to be with a constant fuck-up like  _Rin_?

To Rin’s surprise, Makoto laughs again. And when he looks at Makoto, he swears he sees tears form in his eyes. “Makoto, I—”

“I like you, too, Rin”, Makoto says, hiccuping in doing so. “I’m so relieved. I thought… you wouldn’t want to be with me.”

“Why the hell  _not_?!” Rin asks, and almost stands up. He remains sitting, though, and Makoto scoots closer to him, leaning his head on Rin’s shoulder, which makes him flinch, but eventually relax.

“I’ve always felt like a little boy staring through my telescope up at the big, bright and shining stars. Those were you and Haru. You two have always been so good at what you do, and you have so much potential to take you wherever you want. I don’t have any of that, and I didn’t feel like… I had the right to stand beside you. Beside  _any_  of you. It’s funny, because I could’ve said something so long ago, but I’ve been scared to. Because I didn’t want to lose the little we still had left.”

He finishes with a sigh, and Rin can’t help but stare at Makoto in shock. Basically, they’ve been beating around the bush and straight-up been pining for each other for years. And neither one of them had the courage to speak up because of everything that had happened to them in the past. Rin gives himself a mental slap on the forehead and closes his eyes, sighing through his nose.

“We’re such fucking cowards”, he mumbles. “Both of us. And that needs to change. Man, if I knew I could’ve started dating you sooner… I mean, if that’s… if that’s what you want. If not, then I don’t mind just—”

“I do”, Makoto interrupts, thankfully. “I would love to.”

Rin laughs, feeling light. “Okay. Good. So… does that makes us boyfriends now, or what?”

“I guess so.”

Wow, does  _that_  feel weird to say. But  _man_ , does it feel good. Rin almost feels giddy, high on endorphins and the feeling of being absolutely, madly, deeply in love. And this time, it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t feel  _bad_  to be this disgustingly enamoured.

Makoto takes his hand, interlacing their fingers. The silence is comfortable, not at all bothering, and Rin feels like he could sit like this for a long time. Only, he has to go to bed soon in order to get up early. They’ve got an important national tournament tomorrow, after all.

“I’m glad we got that sorted out in the end”, Rin says. “I’ve been dying to tell you for like two years.”

“Me too”, Makoto says, almost dreamily. He sits up straight again, and looks straight into Rin’s eyes. Rin almost feels dizzy, but he doesn’t avert his gaze when Makoto leans closer, when he puts a hand on the back of Rin’s head; Rin putting a hand on Makoto’s back to bring him close. Finally,  _finally_ , bringing him close after all this time of them having been so far apart.

Their noses brush together, and it’s a little clumsy at first, with Makoto giggling at their silly mistakes, and Rin just huffing in frustration before they finally align their faces correctly, and their lips meet. It’s soft, makes Rin feel weirdly tingly but  _good_  inside, and he doesn’t want to stop. Not ever. If he didn’t share a room with Sousuke already, he’d take Makoto back there and continue this in his room since Haru’s probably coming back soon.

He pulls Makoto closer as their tongues make acquaintance, Rin tasting the sweet, minty taste of Makoto’s toothpaste in doing so. His heart feels like it’s going to break out of the confines of his ribcage, and he hears himself, embarrassingly enough, let out a needy moan slash whimper through his nose. Just as he does, he hears the door unlock and then open. Makoto flinches and quickly separates himself from Rin, the latter already missing Makoto’s lips against his.

“Oh”, Haru says upon walking inside. “Well.”

“’Well’?” Rin says. “That’s it?”

Haru shrugs. “Figured it’d happen once you two pulled your heads out of the sand. You two done soon? I was planning on taking a shower and going to bed. We have a tournament tomorrow.”

Rin snorts, and Makoto gets up from the bed before he does. “Sorry, Haru-chan.”

“It’s fine. Stop calling me that.”

Rin gets up from the bed, too, with a sigh. If only he’d had at least five more minutes with Makoto. Oh well, they’ll probably have plenty of opportunities like these in the future. Maybe even ones where they won’t be interrupted... Just thinking about it makes Rin’s mind go straight to the gutter and make him feel all warm inside. He shakes the thought off and clears his throat.

“I should probably go, too. Sousuke’s probably getting worried. See you guys tomorrow — may the best team win.”

Haru snorts and rolls his eyes. “Sap. Now I understand all of those things you say Yamazaki say about you.”

Rin flips his friend off before bidding both of them goodnight and leaving. When he gets into the lift, he grins to himself, all the way up to his and Sousuke’s room door.

No matter who wins tomorrow, they’ll still be okay. No matter what happens, Rin will find a way to bounce back and move forward.


	73. SouHaru / MakoRin #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke and Haru decide that Makoto and Rin might make a good couple, so they try to play matchmaker. But everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Despite this, Makoto and Rin still end up dating.**
> 
> Asked by: [pinkstarpirater](http://pinkstarpirater.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the time when I post these, it's early morning and I have yet to go to bed. Right now, it's 5:33 AM, and I've technically written two long-ass prompts in one day since I haven't gone to bed yet. Today was a really boring day for doing stuff, but also productive when it comes to writing.

Haru squints in the sunlight, lifting a hand up over his eyes to see better. He really should’ve brought his sunglasses — too bad Haru’s too stubborn to listen to his boyfriend. Sousuke kicks him in the shin under the table, upon where Haru glares at him.

“What?!” he hisses.

“Be  _subtle_ , idiot”, Sousuke bites back. “We’re already super obvious as we are, they don’t need to know we’re watching them like creeps.”

Haru shrugs. “This was your idea, not mine.  _You’re_  the creep.”

“Yeah, but you decided to come along, so you’re not that much better.”

 

* * *

 

Rewind a week. Haru and Sousuke are hanging out with Makoto and Rin, and it’s pretty much like it always is whenever they hang out. Except… not quite. Haru and Sousuke have both noticed recently just how  _flirty_  their two friends are with each other, and it surprised them to find out that Makoto and Rin aren’t already dating. Sneaky as Haru can be, he’d mentioned it once in a totally casual conversation with Makoto, and Makoto had said something about how they’re just ‘friends’.

Yeah, right. And pigs can fly, hell has frozen over, and Haru’s allergic to fish.

It’s annoying Sousuke, and while Haru says he doesn’t really care, Sousuke wants to do something about it. He knows Makoto and Rin like each other, so why haven’t the two of them just hopped in bed together already?

“You don’t think it’s strange?”

Haru shrugs and pulls the blanket further up under his chin. “It’s fine the way it is. They don’t seem  _unhappy_ , at least to me.”

Sousuke frowns and lies down on his back to stare up at the ceiling. He doesn’t know about Makoto’s feelings for Rin, but he’s very much aware of his best friend’s feelings towards Makoto, and that’s enough for him to want to take action. He’s considering it somewhat of a favour he owes Rin, accumulated over the past god knows  _how_  many years.

“Okay, so maybe they’re not unhappy, but they could be  _happier_ , Haruka. If you’re saying you don’t want to see the two of them together, you’re lying.”

“I don’t disagree with you”, Haru replies, “but before you try and meddle with something you really don’t have any business with — how do you suggest we go about it? Hypothetically speaking.”

Sousuke supports himself on an elbow, looking at his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow. “Interested?”

“Just answer the question. I said  _hypothetically_. It depends on just how dumb your plan is.”

Sousuke fills Haru in on his plan, and he doesn’t even have to finish talking, because he knows Haru’s far too interested to just walk away without even seeing how things work out. It’ll be the best, most fool-proof plan Sousuke’s ever come up with; he’d lie if he said he isn’t proud of himself.

 

* * *

 

He wants to leave Haru right there, drive away in their car and let Haruka take a fucking taxi back home, the way he’s being glared at right now. How the hell was he supposed to know that wonderful, sunshiny weather would suddenly switch to heavy rain?! They hadn’t even mentioned the rain on the weather forecast, no one could’ve known.

They’d told Rin and Makoto that the four of them were going to go out and have lunch at this newly opened Italian place downtown, and while Makoto had worried Haru wouldn’t like it, both of them said they’d figure something out. Of course, neither Haru or Sousuke were going to be present, so the restaurant didn’t matter.

Of course, with the weather suddenly turning absolute shite for sitting outside, Rin and Makoto cut their ‘date’ short and went their separate ways. Completely unaware that Sousuke and Haru were sitting at the café across the street watching them, not at all being discreet about it.

“Told you this was a bad idea.”

“Shut  _up_ , we’ll think of something else. Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy spying on those two like a private detective or something.”

Haru snorts. “If  _someone’s_  enjoying this, it’s you. Let’s go home, too, before I catch a cold. If I do, I can’t swim, and then  _you’re_  not getting any sex for two weeks.”

“Even if you get better within that time?”

“Even then.”

Sousuke relents.

The next attempt to get the two to do something together ends up with Makoto having to leave early for an emergency at home which made him have to babysit his siblings. Haru finds it a miracle that neither of the two have caught on yet, seeing as he finds Sousuke’s plotting blatantly obvious, himself.

Rin’s a sharp guy — sometimes a little thick-headed, sure — so he should’ve at least  _started_  to suspect something. Makoto’s good at reading his friends, and since he and Sousuke have been friends for a while, he should’ve noticed some change in Sousuke’s behaviour, too.

Maybe Haru’s just underestimating his boyfriend’s talents in being ‘secretive’?

No. His friends must’ve caught the stupid Sousuke fever, that’s gotta be it.

“Sousuke, just stop this already”, Haru sighs as Sousuke’s about to reply to one of Rin’s text messages. They’re being lazy on the couch, Haru lying with one of Sousuke's arms wrapped around his waist, their bodies pressed almost too tight together in what little space they have to share. “They’re obviously just meant to be friends. Stop trying to force things.”

Sousuke gives him an indignant look and snorts. “Hey, it’s not like I’m  _pressuring_  them — just helping them along. ‘Sides, it’s not like they’re really suffering from spending time together, are they? I mean, they’re already friends.”

“Whatever you’re planning on from here on out, I’m not taking part in it”, Haru says and crosses his arms over his chest. Sousuke snorts.

“Suit yourself.”

 

* * *

 

So while Sousuke continues his ‘devious’ plotting, Haru stays out of whatever it is his boyfriend’s doing, continuing to hang with his friends like normal. Sousuke still tries to get him in on whatever he wants to do to get Rin and Makoto together, but Haru won’t budge.

“... I mean, I just don’t get why he’d have to get on  _my_  ass for it, I wasn’t even  _near_  his goddamn office when it happened.”

Makoto smiles a little. “It’s probably just a big misunderstanding. Talk to your boss, be  _level-headed_  for once, and it’ll work itself out.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “What, you don’t think I can have a normal conversation with people just because I’m pissed?” When no one around him responds to his question, Rin scoffs and looks out the window with a frown. “Traitors”, he mutters.

Sousuke laughs before he gets up from the floor, a few plates already in hand. “Haruka, would you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen?”

 _Oh great, another one of his attempts at gluing Rin and Makoto together_ , Haru thinks sarcastically to himself. He can’t really say no, because that’ll make their guests wonder why the hell he’s disobeying such a trivial thing in his own house. Sousuke’s really got him wrapped around his pinky finger at this point, and Haru doesn’t know just what to think of it.

Okay, so maybe Sousuke  _can_  be smart at times, he’ll have to admit that much.

He helps Sousuke clean off the table, and then the two of them do the dishes in the kitchen before proceeding to make tea.

“Sousuke, just give it up already”, he sighs as he dries off a plate on a towel. Sousuke gives him  _that_  look again.

“What? I can’t really ask any of our  _guests_  to help me in the kitchen, can I? They’re guests, after all.”

“They practically live here by now. Especially Makoto. Do you know just how many times he’s been in this house?”

Sousuke waves a still wet hand in a dismissive manner, accidentally getting some drops on Haru, who glares daggers at him. “Sorry. Anyway, they still don’t actually live here. They don’t pay the rent, they didn’t pay for the food — that makes them guests. So, I’m asking you, my lovely cohabitant, to help me in the kitchen.”

“Is that all I am to you? Your cohabitant?”

“You— oh my  _god_ ”, Sousuke says when he realises Haru’s just pulling his leg.

When Haru’s finished preparing the tea — Sousuke deciding to ‘hang around’ while he did so — the two of them begin walking out of the kitchen, Haru carrying the tray. He doesn’t make it very far before Sousuke puts a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“What?!”

“Shh! Listen.”

And Haru goes silent, listening for whatever sound Sousuke may have heard. The sound is... Makoto—

“Are they having  _sex_  in my  _living room_?!” Haru hisses, and Sousuke shushes him again.

“They wouldn’t have sex in there, idiot. Maybe we should wait a few seconds. Or a minute. They obviously aren’t missing us out there.”

Haru snorts and continues walking outside. “I may have been in on it in the beginning, but I’ve been out of your scheming for a while. Still applies.”

He walks into the living room to find Rin and Makoto almost obscenely making out by his kotatsu, and he doesn’t say anything as he calmly just walks in to place the traay down. Sousuke, the ‘mastermind’ behind it all, had decided to stay in the kitchen, but he’ll probably be out any second now. When Rin and Makoto realise they aren’t alone anymore, they separate like they just got burnt on the other’s lips.

“H-Haru, I—”

“Congratulations”, Haru deadpans. “Finally. You have no idea how long Sousuke’s been waiting for this day.”

“Hey, don’t act like you’re fucking innocent, Haruka”, comes Sousuke’s voice, and soon enough, he’s joined them in the living room. Again, that bastard. “You enjoyed yourself a little too much on that day it started raining, didn’t you?”

“Wait a goddamn minute”, Rin says, holding up a hand in front of him. Makoto looks like he’s about to die from mortification next to him. “You planned this? To get us together?”

“Yep. Best matchmakers in town, I’d say”, Sousuke replies, and he both sounds and looks so disgustingly proud of himself that Haru has to roll his eyes so far back into his head he’s seeing stars.

The reaction they get is one Haru  _definitely_  didn’t expect, because Rin laughs, and Makoto looks at least ten times more embarrassed than he did seconds ago. “You two will literally  _never_  cease to amaze and surprise me”, Rin snorts between fits of laughter. But... thanks, I guess. I mean, I’ve had the hots for this guy since forever, but—”

“ _Rin_ ”, Makoto whines, but Rin doesn’t pay the poor brunet any mind.

“—I guess we  _did_  need some help on the way. So thanks. I... I mean that.”

Haru looks at both of them with eyes widened in disbelief. And then, he smiles. “Well, you’re welcome. Again, _finally_.”

“Hey!” Sousuke barks. “I thought you didn’t want any part in this, so you don’t get to take credit.”

“This is my house, and this is where they got together. I get to take all the credit I want.”

“Who says they’re even  _dating_  to begin with?”

Haru gives Makoto and Rin each a look. “Are you?”

Rin and Makoto exchange confused glances, and then Makoto looks back at Haru with a shy smile. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“See? Taking credit where it’s due. And yes, you get some of it, too, Sousuke. Just because you just wouldn’t give up, like the stubborn, dumb, big bear you are.”

Sousuke grins. “All I’m asking for.”

Not even responding to the blatant insult? Well, this really must be Haru’s lucky day. For several reasons.


	74. SouHaru #30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke gets his first ever private lapdance from none other than the beautiful, sensual stripper Nanase Haruka.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Sousuke looks around the club with a look of disgust mixed with confusion. A strip club? Really? He’s seriously got to re-evaluate what he thinks he actually knows about his partner slash best friend.

“Why the hell are we  _here_?” Sousuke asks. They’re still standing near the entrance, Sousuke refusing to take another step, and Rin just surveying the area before undoubtedly going in, dragging Sousuke with him. He looks almost  _too_  eager to go inside. Pervert.

“Birthday present”, Rin replies with a wide and mischievous grin.

“Seriously, your idea of a ‘birthday gift’ is to take me out to a strip club?”

“Better than sitting in your shitty apartment and watching a dull film until one of us”, Rin demonstrates with a cough that has Sousuke glaring at him, “falling asleep way too early. That’s no way to celebrate a birthday.  _This_  is, however. Now come on. I booked us a private room, we don’t wanna keep them waiting.”

Sousuke’s dragged inside by Rin, who greets one of the waitresses on his way in as if he’s a goddamn  _regular_.

“Welcome to Oasis! How may I help you?” the waitress asks, welcoming them with an unnaturally white smile. Did she afford those on her waitress salary? Sousuke wonders if maybe working at these places might not be as bad as he originally thought. Maybe they actually have a decent salary every month, perhaps even to the point where it rivals his salary working as an officer of the law.

“I’ve booked a private lounge for tonight”, Rin says. “Under the name Matsuoka Rin.”

“Hang on just a second, love”, the waitress says as she scurries away, leaving the two alone. Well, as alone as you can get in a strip club full of above middle-aged men and strippers. Sousuke takes the opportunity to somewhat survey his surroundings, and to prepare himself for what may just be in store for him. 

 

* * *

 

The strip club looks just like Sousuke had imagined it and seen in a film or two; red satin drapes over the windows and a general feel of ‘oh no, everything’s either red or a dark shade of pink’, two strip poles in the middle with circular podiums beneath, strippers with several bills tucked inside their panties, obscenely flaking themselves out in front of men old enough to be Sousuke’s dad.

He feels sick.

The waitress comes back and signs for them to follow her, and Rin’s the one to walk in the front with Sousuke closely after him like a lost dog.

“Rin, I don’t… I don’t think this is a good idea”, he mumbles when they make their way past more than half-naked waitresses, and gross, drunk men who smell like old beer and like they haven’t showered in two weeks. How people actually  _enjoy_  hanging out at these places, Sousuke hasn’t got the wildest clue.

“Why not?” Rin asks.

He swallows hard as they’re ushered inside and told to wait before someone comes to serve them before  _the stripper_  comes. The Cure’s ‘ _Lullaby_ ’ is playing loudly through the speakers, making Sousuke’s head feel like it’s pounding in rhythm to the music.

Yeah, sleep is what Sousuke wants to do right about now. Just not  _here_.

He isn’t one for places like these. And certainly not for a place which is obviously aimed strictly at straight men. Rin knows Sousuke is about as straight as a ruler made out of soft rubber.

And if something’s soft tonight and probably for a couple of weeks from now, it’s Sousuke’s dick. He hasn’t been so disgusted by something in a long time — hell, he’d even take seeing his  _best friend_  strip for him right now and that would be a thousand times better than this. It isn’t that he can’t appreciate the beauty in a woman, because he certainly can, but it doesn’t get him aroused.

“I’m  _gay_ , idiot”, Sousuke mutters. “This isn’t the place for me. I feel like I’m violating someone just by being here.”

Rin sits down on the leather sofa —  _oh god, it looks disgusting… what if someone’s had SEX on this thing?_ — and leans back, totally comfortable with his circumstances. “Relax, Sou, I know you are.”

“So why the fuck are we here, then?!”

“You’ll see”, Rin replies with a voice that makes Sousuke want to punch him. He sounds cocky, confident, like his plan is foolproof and nothing will go wrong. Well, he’s  _wrong_ , because as soon as they stepped in through the doors to a strip club named Oasis, things went  _horribly_  wrong.

“Can you at  _least_ —”

“Stripper’s name’s Haruka. Nimble as  _fuck_ , man… you have no idea. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“’Haruka’?” Sousuke parrots back. “That’s it? No weird pseudonym trying to sound sexy or like a pun?”

Rin shrugs. “No idea. I mean, I don’t  _know—_ ”

He doesn’t have time to finish his sentence before the music starts. More specifically, a very ‘sex-sounding’ song starts that Sousuke hasn’t heard before. Well, that’s probably of no surprise to anyone, since this isn’t the type of music he usually listens to.

Sousuke would’ve expected the music to come from a cheap little boom box or something considering his surroundings, but the sound in the elegant wall speakers carries well, even without a sub woofer present. And then the drapes are pulled open at the other end of their lounge, and  _then_ … Sousuke feels his jaw drop to the floor.

“You didn’t say it was a  _guy_!” he hisses loudly in Rin’s direction. Rin shoots him a shit-eating grin.

“Surprise. Happy birthday, Sou. I love how I could confuse you with the name. Pretty feminine for a guy, but it worked well in this case. And yes, it’s his real name.”

Sousuke snorts. “Well,  _you’re_  certainly not one to talk about feminine names,  _Rin_.”

Rin smacks him on the arm. The  _male_  stripper named Haruka gets up to the pole, and he looks down at them, but focusing mostly on Sousuke.

“Are you the birthday boy?” he asks, and Sousuke refrains from frowning at the wording. He most certainly isn’t a boy, still — he’s a  _man_ , he’s allowed to be here, goddamnit. And god knows he’ll stay, if only to prove his manhood.

Even so, he finds himself answering with a beyond lame “yeah”, and Haruka smiles at him. The smile makes Sousuke’s heart skip a beat; this man is absolutely fucking  _beautiful_  when he smiles. Haruka’s deep blue eyes seem to glitter in the dim light of the room, and it’s only enhanced by the glittery eyeshadow he’s wearing that perfectly complements those eyes of his.

 

* * *

 

Haruka elegantly hops down from his little stage, walking straight up to Sousuke and sits right down in his lap. “Happy birthday, then”, he purrs into Sousuke’s ear. “I’ll do my best to make this an evening you won’t soon forget.”

In the corner of his eye, Sousuke sees Rin  _still_  grinning like the fucking idiot he is. A fucking idiot who gave Sousuke a really unusual gift that he’s not so sure he minds having been given. Now that he’s got an absolutely gorgeous man sitting in his lap, he’s actually okay with having been brought here, even if it had been by force.

“You ever been to a place like this before?” Haruka asks as he half stands up from Sousuke’s lap, moving his goddamn hips like he’s made out of rubber, or jelly, even. Sousuke can’t help but  _stare_  at Haruka’s hips, and the other laughs as his eyes snap up to meet Haruka’s again.

“I, er, yeah. Yeah, first time.”

“Okay. No need to be nervous, honey — imagine it’s just us. You and me. I’m doing this for you, after all.”

There’s no way in hell Sousuke  _can’t_  imagine Rin sitting right there next to him on the leather couch. But okay, it doesn’t hurt to try. And the man currently giving him a fucking lapdance helps a lot, that’s for sure.

“I didn’t know there were… uh, men doing this.”

“ _This_?” Haruka asks, raising an eyebrow as he slides further up Sousuke’s lap. Sousuke doesn’t know whether the stripper’s amused or surprised, but he answers anyway.

“Striptease, I mean.”

“Oh”, Haruka replies, and the smile is back on his lips.  _God_ , he’s got beautiful lips. Perfect, and absolutely kissable, but Sousuke knows his limits and personal boundaries. Besides, this is a goddamn  _stripper_. A beautiful one, and a  _man_  at that, but still.

He can barely keep himself inside his skin when Haruka runs his hands up and down Sousuke’s sides, slowly, sensually — hell, his entire  _being_  is the definition of sensual — and Sousuke swallows hard when he has to watch Haruka remove his top. He hears his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, rivalling the music playing in the room, which has now switched to something he’s actually heard before; Muse’s ‘ _Uprising_ ’. Well, isn’t  _that_ ironic.

By this point, Sousuke  _has_  completely forgotten about Rin’s existence next to him. All he sees, all he  _feels_  is Haruka moving on top of him, removing pieces of clothing as he dances like some sort of divine being. He’s probably done this for years, to several other men, probably men like those Sousuke saw outside. He cringes inwardly at the thought, wondering what would  _possibly_  put someone like Haruka in a profession like this.

 _They will not force us_  
_They will stop degrading us_  
 _They will not control us_  
 _We will be victorious_

Haruka leans close to Sousuke’s ear, his breath warm, and Sousuke holds his own.

“ _So come on_ ”, Haruka says in sync with the song, and Sousuke actually prefers Haruka’s version over the original. He finally finds the courage to lock eyes with the dancer as the show continues, as Sousuke feels the constriction in his trousers starting to get absolutely unbearable. This has to be illegal, there’s no way you can get away with giving a man a fucking erection and then just walk away without doing anything about it.

Well, he should’ve probably just gone to a brothel if he wanted someone to take care of it for him. And  _that_  wouldn’t be legal, and he’s supposed to be someone working  _for_  the law, not against it.

The dance ends almost too quickly, and Haruka’s moved off of Sousuke’s lap. He smiles again as he takes a step back to gather his clothes off of the floor. “Did you enjoy the show, then?”

Sousuke’s eyes widen, and suddenly he feels absolutely mortified.  _Beyond_  mortified. The spell is broken, the bubble has burst, and he’s very aware of Rin beside him again, probably still smiling like the idiot he is. “I— y-yeah. Yeah, I did. Thanks. Er, can I… should I tip you?”

Rin snorts next to him, but Haruka just shrugs, still smiling. “If you want to. Most people do it during the show, but I noticed you were too busy enjoying it. It’s fine.”

So he fumbles after his wallet in his back pocket — thank god he’s got a bunch of bills left since lunch — and decides to just give Haruka the entire bunch. Hell, he  _had_  enjoyed that show, damnit, and he wants to show that he did. If only he didn’t have to pay someone to show his appreciation, and just show it like normal people do.

“Thank you, officer”, Haruka says in that teasing, sensual voice of his, and does a little bow upon receiving the little wad of bills. “I’m glad I could make your birthday a little better.”

“A  _little_?” Rin snorts. “Dude, I think this might just be the best birthday he’s ever had.”

“Shut up”, Sousuke says, still mortified. “But… thanks. For the, er, show.”

“Anytime”, Haruka replies, and that just makes him want to burst into flames right then and there. As if he’d ever be able to go back.

(Maybe he would, but it definitely wouldn’t be for anyone else but Haruka. And Rin can  _never_  know.)

 

* * *

 

Walking away from the Oasis, Sousuke keeps his eyes trained on the ground in front of him, but he’s well aware of Rin looking at him from the side as they go back to Rin’s car parked on the side of the street. He sits down in the passenger seat with a sigh, feeling like he’s just gone on a rollercoaster ride. Well, his hair isn’t in a complete disarray, but otherwise, the feeling’s all the same.

“Enjoyed your gift?” Rin asks as he starts the engine. Again, Sousuke  _really_  hates Rin’s cocky tone and shit-eating grin, but he lets it go with a deep breath.

“Yeah. Thanks. Bit of a weird gift, but... yeah.”

“He was good, wasn’t he? I told you I wouldn’t let you down.”

 _Almost too good_ , Sousuke thinks, looking out the window. “He was. Now drive somewhere we can eat, I’m hungry.”

“Alright, king, but you’re buying. That striptease was fucking expensive.”

Sousuke snorts. “Fine.”


	75. SouHaru #31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke petting a debauched Haru, and calling him a "good boy".**
> 
> [Slightly changed because my mind will forever be in the fucking gutter. Sue me.]
> 
> **Asked by:[daxii](http://daxii.tumblr.com).**

There’s something…  _off_  about Haru when Sousuke comes home that evening after a long day at work. If Sousuke were to voice his thoughts out loud, he knows Rin would just say ‘there’s  _always_  something off about him’, so he’s glad his partner didn’t follow him home today.

Whatever it is, Sousuke can’t figure it out. Is he sick? Well, he doesn’t have a fever, so there’s got to be something else. Haru’s just…  _really_  clingy, and he usually isn’t. A little, sure, but never to this extent — even if it’s just the two of them. Hell, Sousuke’s usually the cuddlier one of the two, and it isn’t as if he finds this unwelcome. Just… odd, yet strangely exciting.

“Haruka, are you okay?”

“Mmm”, Haru replies, nuzzling his nose up against Sousuke’s neck, and he swallows hard, feeling himself getting aroused already. He’s been home for less than five minutes, and Haru’s already got him horny. What the  _hell_? Someone definitely forgot to hand him the Nanase Haruka how-to manual when they started dating.

He sighs through his nose and lifts up his boyfriend. “We’re not doing this here.”

So Sousuke carries Haru into their bedroom and lays him down, after which he lies down next to Haru and has to hold back a laugh when he sees his boyfriend’s frustrated expression.

“What’s  _with_  you?”

Haru just whines in response and turns his face down into the pillow. Sousuke knows what Haru wants, but he knows he won’t have enough stamina for that now. At least until he’s had a proper dinner and shower. Haruka, on the other hand, is a fucking powerhouse with stamina when it comes to sex, and it sometimes feels like it takes a blow to Sousuke’s manhood, the way he can’t seem to catch up to his boyfriend.

Well, at least he’s managed to beat Haru in the pool a few times.

"Haruka, I won’t know what you want if you don’t tell me”, Sousuke says in a low voice, completely aware of what it  _is_  Haru wants, but he’s in a sudden teasing-boyfriend-mood. His shower can wait — Haru, apparently, can’t.

Haru turns his face up again and glares at Sousuke. “You’re being mean”, he huffs, and Sousuke laughs a little.

“Am I? How? I haven’t done anything.”

 _Yet_ , he thinks. He knows he’ll have to do something about Haru’s decadent, horny state. Sousuke’s almost there himself, but he doesn’t want to do anything unless he gets that shower. He figures he can have Haru return the favour once he’s gotten his shower, anyway.

“I hate you.”

“That’s mean”, Sousuke replies, his voice a teasing purr that he knows will just drive Haru up the wall. Good, that’s kind of what he’s looking for right now, so the more the better. “And here I thought you wanted me to help you with a certain something. Was I wrong, after all?”

Haru yanks the pillow out beneath Sousuke’s head and throws it at him, which makes Sousuke laugh again. Haru’s never been one to voice his thoughts and desires out loud, and often times, Sousuke’s had to guess or just assume what Haru might want. This time, he wants his boyfriend to communicate with him. There’s a first time for everything, right?”

“I’m— please, just...  _do it_ ”, Haru says, almost wheezing, sounding beyond mortified, and being the jackass Haru decided to date, Sousuke absolutely  _loves_  it.

“You’re what?” he prompts, the smile on his lips evident in his voice, even. “Again, if you aren’t being clear with what you want me to do, I can’t help you.”

“Horny. Get me off.”

The sudden impudence sends a jolt down to Sousuke’s lower region, and he barely holds back a hiss. No, he has to keep a straight face — well, as far as a ‘straight face’ goes in the situation where he’s trying to be the biggest dick possible — and not give into his growing desires. Haru’s got that kind of power on him more so than the other way around, and it’s incredibly frustrating for Sousuke.

“If you ask nicely, like a good boy”, Sousuke says, and Haru flinches next to him. He inhales deeply, and then clears his throat.

“ _Please_ , Sousuke.”

That does it. Sousuke relents, giving his boyfriend what he needs. But Haru quickly realises that this isn’t about getting them  _both_  off, and he begins to squirm about.

“No sex?”

Sousuke shakes his head. “I feel disgusting, I’ve been running around outside all day, and I need a shower. But since you needed me to get you off so badly, I’m prioritising you first. You should be grateful.”

Haru pouts. “I wanted sex.”

“Well, maybe after I’ve showered and actually had something to eat. If you can handle a second round after I’m done with you  _now_.”

“Fine. You’d better not fall asleep then.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t”, Sousuke laughs. “Now, lie down and let me take care of you.”

With reluctance, Haru lies down and stops wriggling, and Sousuke’s grin widens. He lets a hand trail down Haru's chest, fingers barely gracing the abdomen, and as he reaches the strings on Haru's sweatpants, he lingers there for a while, just letting his fingers slowly slide along the inside of Haruka's boxers, at the very top. If he's going to be a tease, he might just as well go all out and aim for the Biggest Dick of the Year award.

When he's teased Haru enough — for the moment, at least — Sousuke pries Haru's sweatpants and boxers off of him to the point where he's now only wearing his t-shirt. Well, no matter; all he's really got to do is get his boyfriend to the climax he seems to have wanted to reach since long before Sousuke even got home. He scoots down along the mattress until his face is level with Haru's exposed crotch, and Haru once again whimpers pathetically, probably feeling Sousuke's warm breath against his skin.

"Tell me what to do", Sousuke murmurs. "Or I won't know."

He's met with a few seconds of silence, and during that time, he stubbornly sticks to his newly made up rule. Communication is key, even in these situations, and if he's to be honest with not only himself, but others around him, too — Haruka sucks at communication. Really sucks. Not that Sousuke's  _that_ much better, but still better. Anyone could vouch for that, even Rin who's usually out to just joke around with Sousuke.

"Use your... mouth", Haruka mutters, completely unwilling to voice his desires out loud. But this is practice, and not just for when they're in bed together, but for every other occasion and situation as well. Communication was what Haruka and Makoto once lacked, which caused their first fight and caused Rin to forcefully bring Haru with him to Australia on a soul-searching trip. And it isn't like Sousuke's relationship with Haru  _isn't_ working, because it definitely is, but he knows they'll need this in the long run. Sousuke isn't here for a quick fuck to get out the door the morning after, and he thinks Haru's well aware of that by now.

"That's more like it. Good boy", Sousuke says in that low tone he knows Haru's weak to, and he takes him in without any hesitation, immediately noticing just how  _long_ Haruka's been waiting upon feeling the wet tip against the roof of his mouth. Haruka moans, a dragged out, almost breathless moan, and Sousuke looks up to see him tilt his head back in sheer pleasure. Yeah, he's  _really_ been holding it in. Poor thing.

Sousuke feels the contour of Haru's veins against his lips, as he slowly but surely lets Haruka's cock go deeper inside his mouth and down his throat. He's trained away most of his gag reflex by this point, and it's something he's weirdly proud over. He remembers the first time he was about to give Haru a blowjob and thought he'd probably never even have to bother. Oh, how wrong he'd been. Turned out Haru packed a lot more than Sousuke could've even imagined beforehand.

Still... Sousuke's bigger than him, and he likes it that way. He's pretty sure Haru does, too, even if he doesn't say it.

He lets his tongue run along the underside of Haru's length when he takes it in and out, sucking down hard and eliciting louder and louder moans from his boyfriend further up on the mattress. Fingers twist in his hair, and Sousuke doesn't even mind when it starts to sting a bit in the roots; he knows Haru needs it to steel himself, and he's guilty of having given Haru's hair and scalp the same treatment a few times before.

Haru bucks his hips up as he chases his orgasm, and when Sousuke feels Haruka's about to come, he grabs hold of the base of Haru's cock with one hand and pulls away with a wet  _plop_ , making Haru half-sit up quickly and glare at him.

"Why did you  _stop_?" he complains, and Sousuke smiles at him.

"What do you think you have to do now?"

Haruka blinks at him in sudden confusion, and he lets out sounds that would normally form words, but end up dying in his throat. Eventually, he sighs exasperatedly and pouts. "I have to beg, don't I?"

"Clever, aren't we? So... are you going to? Or should I leave you high and dry?"

He's evil and he knows it. Sousuke patiently awaits Haru's command, the one that'll have Sousuke release his grip around Haru's length. Pre-cum is leaking down said length, and Sousuke knows Haru's on the very edge, but Sousuke isn't going to let him have it until he asks for it. Nicely.

"Please", Haru wheezes. "Let me... let me come."

Sousuke's smiling so widely his cheeks are hurting, and he feels disgustingly powerful right now. He raises an eyebrow in amusement, smoothing out his smile, and runs a thumb over Haru's slit. "See, that wasn't so difficult, was it?  _Good boy_."

Within seconds, his lips find their way around Haru's cock like they never left, working with his tongue to give Haru the release he so desires and deserves. The hand that had previously prevented Haru from ejaculating is now pumping him up and down as Sousuke's mouth's doing the same thing, only stopping when he has to swallow the pre-cum gathering in his mouth. The more bitter it gets, the closer he knows Haru is to orgasm.

When he does come, it's in several small spurts, all of which Sousuke stays in place to swallow down. When Haru's done, Sousuke takes his mouth off of his cock and sits up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. No matter how hard he'd tried to keep his mind on other things, he's still managed to get himself hard. Not painfully so, though, and he figures it'll dissipate while he's in the shower.

Haruka's an exhausted, heavily breathing mess on top of the comforter, as if he's just had sex for two hours straight, and Sousuke bites the inside of his cheek as to not laugh out loud. It's rare to see Haru in this state, so desperate, depraved — yet still somehow absolutely fucking beautiful.

Sousuke gets up from the bed and kisses his boyfriend on the forehead. "I'm going to shower, and then we're having dinner."

"And then sex."

He rolls his eyes. "You just came, didn't you? Or are you already up for another round?"

Haru  _snorts_ , like the brat he can be sometimes, and sits up as well. "Ready when you are. I'm going to get my revenge on you for preventing me to come."

"Whatever you say", Sousuke replies, but he's secretly kind of scared of what Haru would possibly come up with to get him back for what he did.

Not that he regrets it _now_ , but he probably will once Haru's had his way with him.


	76. SouHaru #32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT:[Lapdance](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/10450707) sequel. **
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Sousuke knows he isn't doing a good job at staying focused at work. And it's really bad since he's a police officer, where concentration is imperative. His mind keeps drifting off towards that strip club Rin had brought him to last Friday. And it isn't like  _that_ , like he wants to go back or anything, but at the same time — it kind of is. Because of  _him_.

How the hell does one get so obsessed with a  _stripper?_ Sousuke's never even been to a strip club, let alone  _wanted_ to go. He found it indecent, and he knew he'd be embarrassed out of his mind were he ever brought to such an establishment. And on the fourteenth that month, he'd been brought by Rin to a strip club, and been very much embarrassed. Mortified, really.

What was so strange about the whole thing was when he met 'his' stripper for the evening. It wasn't quite like that cliché meeting you see in films or read about in books, where time either slows down or stands still and everything around you seems to do the same. It was more of a 'holy  _fuck_ , this isn't happening', but in a good way — _that_ kind of meeting. And Sousuke knows he's got no business thinking about Haruka this much, because Haruka's probably already forgotten all about him by this point. He was just another one of those pervy guys visiting his workplace, he did what he was supposed to, and then it was all over.

If only it would've been that easy on Sousuke's end, too.

When he's about to head home for the evening, Sousuke finally decides he's got to do something with these thoughts and his erratic, distraught behaviour. He wonders if this'll actually fix it or just make it worse, but he figures he'll have to give it a shot, or he'll never know.

"Oi, why in such a hurry all of a sudden?" Rin calls after him when they're walking out of the lift down in the garage. He lifts a hand up in a lazy wave.

"Somewhere I've gotta be. See you tomorrow."

"Don't crash! You're acting weird lately."

But Sousuke doesn't listen, and just gets into his car. Wait, what if Rin decides to follow him, because he's curious as to why Sousuke's in such a hurry all of a sudden? Maybe he should drive home first and get into casual clothing, making Rin believe he's going on a date or something, and only stopping at home to get a shower and such. Of course, there's no telling Rin will  _actually_ follow him, but Sousuke figures it'll be better to drive home and freshen up first. Even if he  _is_ going to a strip club.

 

* * *

 

He dresses himself casually after his shower, like he's just going out to meet a friend. A polo shirt, dark jeans and sneakers should be good enough to just come inside if even for a minute or so. All he really wants is to  _see_ the guy. Maybe talk for a bit, maybe get some coffee—

And then what? Where he's really going with this, Sousuke hasn't got the slightest clue. All he knows is that his weird thoughts and distraught behaviour lately is telling him he needs to do something about it. And that  _something_ means Sousuke going to a strip club just to 'talk' to one of their strippers. How low has he sunk, really? To be fair, Rin's the one to blame for having brought him to that establishment in the first place, so he's the one Sousuke puts all of the blame on.

When he arrives outside the shoddy-looking building, Sousuke hesitates for two reasons. One, he's just parked outside a fucking  _strip club_ on a Thursday evening. Two, what's he going to say when he walks inside those doors? 'Hey, I was here last week because my best friend slash partner gave me a lapdance as a birthday gift, and I'm looking for the stripper who gave me said lapdance — can I see him?' Obviously that's not going to work. So what  _will_?

With an exasperated sigh, Sousuke gets out of the car, and walks inside the doors to the strip club. He's immediately met by an almost identical sight to the one he saw last Friday, and his first instinct is to just walk out again. But now that he's made it inside, that'd just look weird, and it'd be more embarrassing than to just go through with it. So he does.

Sousuke walks up to the hostess leaning against the bar counter with a slightly bored expression on her face, but her expression immediately changes upon her seeing Sousuke. "Hey, I remember you! You were here last Friday! Birthday guy, right?"

Sousuke feels his face heat up, and he clears his throat. "Y-yeah. So, er, I have a weird... question. Is Haruka here tonight?"

"Oh, he is. You want another show? I can set you up in fifteen minutes if that's—"

"No, no, that's... not it", he interrupts, still feeling beyond mortified that he's even  _here_ , asking a half-naked woman for a stripper who gave him a birthday lapdance. "I just wanted to, er, see him. If he's not busy. Otherwise I could just come back."

She hums in what seems like amusement, only worsening Sousuke's by this point deadly mortification. " _Oh_ , I see. Well, I don't think he's too busy at the moment — I'll go check. Just wait here, love."

Sousuke fidgets and constantly switches the weight from one foot to another while he waits for the hostess to return. His eyes flit around the club, to the strippers by the poles getting hundred-yen bills shoved inside the string on their panties, to those god awful drapes over the windows, back to the bartender who gives him an odd look. Sousuke sighs. This was probably a bad idea, after all. What's he got to do in a place like  _this_ , anyway? And coming  _back_ , even.

Before he's got time to develop that train of thought any further, the hostess returns with a smile on her face and her index finger motioning for him to follow her. Frowning in confusion, Sousuke does as he's been 'told', and walks with the hostess down a corridor past the bar. The hallway has several doors labelled with stripper's names, and that's when it hits him that he's being led to Haruka's private dressing room. She nods her head towards the door and leaves, which Sousuke takes as a sign that it's okay for him to knock.

He knocks lightly on the door and immediately feels his heart race in his chest. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Sousuke straightens his back and clenches his fists for a second before releasing them again. The door opens, and he's met by those insanely blue eyes he feels like he could literally drown in if he isn't careful enough.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again", Haruka smiles. "Come in."

Sousuke walks in and frowns a little, as Haruka closes the door behind them. Having it closed and for it to just be the two of them in here makes Sousuke very aware of pretty much everything going on around him, and with himself, as well.

"You could've come to see me, too. I'm guessing you know where I work", he grumbles, and Haruka laughs as he sits down on the chair next to the mirror. He hasn't done his makeup yet, but he still looks absolutely stunning.

"No offence,  _officer_ , but I think it'd be far more weird for a stripper to just waltz into a police station, than for a police officer to walk into a strip club. Don't you agree?"

He does. Sousuke clears his throat again to try and hide the blush blossoming into his cheeks. "Right. Yeah, I suppose."

"So what brings you back, if I may ask? Another show, perhaps?"

Sousuke fervently shakes his head, as Haruka smiles at him again and motions for him to sit down on the couch. At least this couch looks a lot cleaner and nicer than the one he'd sat one when he got that lapdance last week.

"No. I mean... I just... I came to, er, see you."

"See me? What, dance?"

"Again, no", Sousuke says exasperatedly, realising he's not wording this correctly for his point to come across to the other man. "I just— wanted to, er, ask you out. Or something, I don't know."

Haruka shakes his head with that smile still stuck on his lips, and gets up from his chair to join Sousuke on the couch. "You're not very good with this, are you?"

Who  _is_?! Sousuke rarely dates people as is; his job isn't ideal for keeping long-term relationships, and he's not really one for one night stands, either. So, of course, dating happens less than sporadically in his life, and maybe that's why he's doing such a terrible job at asking Haruka out.

"Shut— just... would you go out with me? Dinner, maybe? Or do you work late every day?"

Haruka thinks for a few seconds, crossing one leg over the other. "I don't, actually. I'm off every other evening."

"Not tonight, I suppose. So... are you free tomorrow evening?"

"I am."

"Oh. Oh, er... can I... should I pick you up? Seven sound good? There's this restaurant downtown I want to try out. If you want to."

Sousuke curses inwardly at his clumsiness, but Haruka plays along, this time not laughing at him, thankfully. "Sure, that sounds good. Let me give you my address and phone number. It's a good thing you're a police officer, so I know I can trust you with this information."

He actually manages a snort before he fishes his phone out of his pocket for Haruka to write said information on. When he gets his phone back, there's a phone number, address, and  _Nanase Haruka_ written next to it. So now he's got a surname to go with Haruka, too. Things literally couldn't have gone better. He bites back a smile as he looks up at Haruka again.

"Thanks. I'll drop by your place tomorrow at seven, then." Haruka nods, and Sousuke stands up, fidgeting a bit with the hem of his shirt. "Right. I should probably go before they force a lapdance on me or something. No offence, but... I don't think I'll want another anytime soon."

Haruka stands up as he does and stands right in front of Sousuke, their chests almost touching. Sousuke notices how long Haruka's eyelashes are, and he isn't even wearing makeup yet.  _Man_ , this guy's beautiful. "Maybe I can change your mind tomorrow evening", Haruka says in a voice that sounds more like a purr than anything. Sousuke swallows hard and clumsily says goodbye before exiting the dressing room, leaving Haruka to prepare himself for the rest of the night he's got to work.

When Sousuke gets out of the strip club and into his car, he heaves a deep sigh. Well, at least he walked out of there with a date — that's got to count as a success, right?

 

* * *

 

Finishing his shift on Friday evening, Sousuke nearly throws himself at the lift and frantically presses the button to go down to garage level. Like yesterday, Rin kept bombarding him with questions, but Sousuke swiftly avoided them all, saying he's just got 'plans'. He knows Rin isn't buying it; Rin knows something's up, definitely, but he can never guess that Sousuke's got a date with his birthday stripper.

Sousuke gives himself a mental slap on the forehead as he sits in the car and begins driving out onto the street. Putting it that way sounds ridiculous. He's now got both a first and last name to said 'stripper', so there's no need to label him as such. Hopefully, Sousuke will get to know more about Haruka tonight that'll give him other things to associate Haruka with.

He drives home first, taking a shower and getting into more proper clothing, and then he's back on the road again to try and make his way to Haruka's house. Thank god for GPS apps on smartphones, otherwise Sousuke would've most definitely been screwed to hell and back when trying to navigate his way even through this town which he's lived in for the majority of his life.

It turns out to be a less difficult route than Sousuke had feared, and less than ten minutes after having pulled out of the car park outside his apartment building, Sousuke finds himself outside a rather large house with steps leading up to it. So, wait... is Haruka  _rich_? Is that why he can afford to live like this? And no offence to strippers, but Sousuke would've never imagined them to earn money that would enable them to buy houses like the one he's stopped outside. Sousuke's working within law enforcement, and not even  _he_ could afford to live like this.

He makes his way up the stairs to said house, preparing himself mentally for the inevitably otherworldly sight he's about to see when Haruka opens the door. That man's got something about him that just makes him look beautiful, whether or not he's prettied himself up. It's so unfair. Sousuke had been standing in front of the mirror trying his best to make himself look at least  _presentable_ , but then there's Haruka who doesn't even have to make an effort and still look like a deity.

And of course, when Haruka opens the door, Sousuke feels like someone just punctured his lung, and he can't really find the words.

"You're just on time", Haruka says, voice silky-smooth and _dangerous_ enough to kill a man. To kill Sousuke, really. "Shall we go, officer?"

Sousuke ducks his head. "You don't have to call me that now, I'm off duty."

"I like it, though. Officer Yamazaki, it's got a nice ring to it. Unless you're uncomfortable with it?"

"No, I mean, I— ah, let's just go. I'm starving."

Haruka laughs, and Sousuke once again cringes at himself. "That makes two of us."

The two arrive at the restaurant almost fifteen minutes later, and get seated in a booth in the quieter part of the restaurant. It's very quaint; minimalistic décor, music that reminds you of the kind playing in hotel lifts' speakers, and thankfully not a lot of people to disturb that mood. Sousuke's never really been here before, but he's heard a lot of good things about their menu.

"You been here before?" Sousuke asks, and Haruka looks at him from across the table like he's lost his mind.

"Do you think someone like me would afford to eat at a place like this? The fanciest I've ever had around this town is probably the sushi place near the family mart."

Sousuke frowns. "Don't say 'someone like you', you make it sound like I'm the owner of some big company or something."

"Well, compared to me, you kind of are", Haruka shrugs. "But okay, I apologise. I didn't mean to offend you. Let's just order, hmm? I've seen a few things on this menu that interests me so far, what about you?"

They order their food and manage to carry a normal conversation over dinner. It's rather interesting, but also weird, getting to know this person who had been grinding himself up and down Sousuke's lap the other week as a birthday gift. Turns out Haruka has been living in that house for pretty much his entire life, the house having originally belonged to his 'free spirit' parents who abandoned him at an early age to live on his own after his grandmother passed away.

Suddenly it makes perfect sense to Sousuke as to why Haru's working with what he does, because of  _course_ the money he inherited wouldn't last his entire life. His stomach turns at the thought. Someone like Haruka shouldn't have to work in such an establishment, but what's Sousuke going to do about it? There isn't anything he can do, really, with what he does, and the money he has — or rather,  _doesn't_  — have.

Dinner goes by surprisingly smoothly, considering how nervous and on edge Sousuke had been beforehand. He finds himself quickly calming down, and being able to enjoy the evening. And as dense as he can usually be, Sousuke doesn't miss the not-so-subtle hints Haruka's throwing at him with the toe-flirting, stroking his leg against Sousuke's, and _the fucking bedroom eyes_. It takes all of his willpower to  _not_ flip the table over and grossly make out with Haruka right then and there, and he manages to hold out during dinner and during the car ride they spend in relative silence.

When he stops outside Haruka's house, he doesn't have to wait long before his date asks him to come in. And it takes even less time before Haruka's lips are glued to his, and he's pinned up against the wall, with the shorter man standing on his toes. _Cute_. Sousuke lifts Haruka up, and Haruka immediately locks his legs around Sousuke's middle. "Bedroom's upstairs. You think you can carry me that far?"

"Need I remind you of my profession?" Sousuke murmurs against Haruka's lips. "I lift shit for a  _living_ , I think I can handle you and a flight of stairs. 'Sides, you're kinda light."

Haruka nibbles a little  _too_ hard on his lower lip in response. "I'll get revenge on you for that one."

 

* * *

 

The bedroom he carries Haruka into is a regular-sized, neatly cleaned room with what looks to be a queen-size bed by the window. A chest of drawers stands on the opposite side of the room with a desk next to it, complete with an office chair and a laptop on said desk. Sousuke quickly learns that Haruka's somewhat of a minimalist, and it's very  _him_ , at least the Haruka Sousuke's gotten to know tonight. The Haruka he first got to meet is only here in 'spirit', in Haruka's quite bold personality, and Sousuke's glad that side of Haruka stayed.

He lays Haruka down onto the bed and climbs on top of him, all nervousness having fizzled out of him like a soda can having been opened for too long. Haruka puts two hands on his back and pulls Sousuke down, capturing his lips in a kiss once again. He nudges Sousuke's crotch with his knee, and the taller man hisses in response.

"I have condoms, but I don't have any—"

"Top drawer", Haruka interrupts in a breathy voice, and Sousuke stares at him in disbelief before he bursts out laughing.

"I can tell you live alone by the way you're  _so_ not afraid to put these things out in the open."

"What, it's just lube?" Haruka says, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I could've hid a  _gun_ there, and we'd be talking about things you probably  _should_ hide."

"Fair enough", he replies with a little laugh as he gets off Haruka to scramble through his drawers. This is like raiding through someone's house after drugs, except the drugs are lube in this case, and if he  _does_ find it, he doesn't have to worry about arresting Haruka.

He wonders for a split second if Haruka would be one for handcuffs, but quickly disregards the thought as he rummages through said top drawer. It doesn't take him long to find the bottle under a few pieces of clothing, and returns to the bed with it in hand. When Sousuke leans down to kiss Haruka again, Haruka lets out a little laugh.

"Took you long enough", he murmurs, and Sousuke glares at him.

"I've literally never been in your house before, and you're expecting me to find a bottle of lube in your sock drawer within three seconds. Talk about high expectations you have on your sex partners."

Haruka shakes his head, still smiling. "Just teasing you, Yamazaki. Maybe I should have you over more often so it'll take less time, then."

The suggestion stumps Sousuke, but he doesn't let it show. Instead, a light flickers on in his head, and he realises something he probably should've asked a little earlier. "You wanna be on top or bottom? Any preference?"

Haruka shrugs. "I'm feeling lazy tonight. Sore muscles. Do you mind?"

"I don't", Sousuke replies. And while he does prefer to be on top, he can't deny that it's nice to be on the receiving end sometimes.

He takes time in undressing Haruka, kissing the skin he exposes with each motion as he goes, eliciting small moans from his lover of the night. His hands shake ever so slightly when he applies lube to two of his fingers, beginning with inserting one and warming Haruka up until he's ready for another.

Whilst doing this, Sousuke makes sure to not let Haruka's erection doesn't go soft and without attention. "You doing okay?" he asks, looking at Haruka as he curls his fingers, straightens them, pulls out and goes back in again.

Haruka nods a few times quickly. "Yeah, keep going. You're...  _so_ good."

Sousuke doesn't know what to do with that compliment, so he just coughs awkwardly before continuing on his merry way. How is this guy so goddamn unashamed of saying these things? Of just being so incredibly blunt and not thinking twice about what he says? Sousuke would die twice before admitting the same thing Haruka just did, even if he really  _feels_ like someone's doing a good job of prepping him before a fuck, be it a quickie or not.

When he finally, _finally_ gets to shed his clothes and put a condom on, he feels like he's going to literally implode. He's been waiting not-so patiently whilst preparing Haruka, and his cock has been pressing hard against his jeans — curse the person who invented this material, seriously — the entire time. He releases a sigh of relief when finally taking his clothes off, and Haruka snickers at him.

"You've been very patient. Good on you."

Sousuke snorts and rolls his eyes. "No offence, Nanase, but fuck you."

"Please do, I'm all yours."

He bites back another snarky response and begins prodding at Haruka's entrance with his cock, upon which Haruka leans his head back against the pillows and sighs  _dreamily_. If anything, Haruka's going to be the death of Sousuke one day, he's sure of it.

"You don't have to be so careful and meticulous", Haruka says as he inches in, and Sousuke looks at him.

"What?"

"I can handle a little pain. Just get  _in_ already, I'm gonna die an old man before we get to business."

"Well, excuse  _me_ for not wanting to hurt you", Sousuke bites back, offended. "I don't know about you, but—"

"Fine, stop talking, just... come here", Haruka says and pulls him down, effectively pushing Sousuke in deeper in the process.

Sousuke learns that Haruka likes it rough, that he's got the stamina of ten people, and that his skin is like those really nice, million thread sheets Sousuke's only ever felt once while on an undercover mission, when he'd gotten to stay at a rather fancy hotel for a night. He can't stop running his fingers along Haruka's skin, kissing it, sucking on it, leaving marks that Haruka will probably have to cover up with that makeup of his. He finds the whole experience almost surreal as they're both chasing their orgasms, and when he's lying on top of Haruka as a heavily breathing mess, he already misses it.

 

* * *

 

When he next comes to, it's bright out, the blinds have been drawn up, and he feels like the duvet's been tucked in a little better around him. He sits up with a jolt, looking around the room.

"Shit", he whispers to himself, having had no intentions on staying the night. Haruka isn't in bed next to him, and he wonders if Haruka's left the house altogether. He's working today, but  _this_ early? Sousuke scrambles for his phone in the pocket on his trousers, and soon finds out that it's just about ten in the morning. No, Haruka couldn't have—

"Oh, you're up", Haruka says as he walks in through the bedroom door. "Well, since you are... you want breakfast?"

Sousuke blinks at him, confused. "Huh?"

"I asked if you want breakfast. Yes or no?"

One night stands don't usually come with breakfast, do they? If they do, Sousuke's had a bunch of  _really_ rude sex partners in the past, and he needs to re-evaluate his way of picking out people for such an occasion. "I, er, yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks."

"You look surprised?" Haruka says and leans against the door frame. Sousuke gets up from the bed and starts to get himself dressed again, and he shrugs.

"Just didn't expect breakfast to be included with the one night stand. But I appreciate the gesture. So thanks."

Haruka hums. "I see. Well, get dressed and come downstairs whenever you're ready. Breakfast's served."

After a very nice breakfast of steamed rice, mackerel and miso, Sousuke gets ready to leave. He needs a shower, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and probably four cups of coffee right about now. As fun as this has been, he really misses his own flat, things that belong to him that he won't have to borrow from someone else.

"Listen", he says in the doorway on his way out. "Thanks for— for last night. No, thanks for everything. Even for... last Friday."

"'Even'?" Haruka parrots back with a little laugh. "You're welcome. And thank  _you_ , I had a great time. So... can we do this again? Maybe I can return the favour?"

Sousuke's eyes widen, and before he's got a chance to say yes, Haruka puts a hand behind his neck and pulls him down for a kiss. When they separate, Sousuke manages a stuttered 'yes', after which Haruka promises to call him, and then Sousuke leaves.

When he sits down in his car, a smile slowly grows on his lips, and he shakes his head to himself as he starts the car. He doesn't even care about how the hell he's going to explain to Rin that he's sort of dating that stripper from his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nervous and clumsy Sousuke, tho. May have based him on his dorky VA Hosoya Yoshimasa a little _too_ much, but I'm not sorry about that.


	77. SouHaru #33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke's slowly falling in love with Haru, but he has no idea what's going on.**
> 
> Asked by: [gotta-save-the-innocent](http://gotta-save-the-innocent.tumblr.com).

“You know, you’ve been hanging out with Haru a lot recently”, Rin says as he wins the third race in a row on Mario Kart. Sousuke curses, again, and reaches for the crisp bowl on the table in font of them.

“Okay”, he says with an invisible question mark at the end, prompting Rin to develop his statement further.

“I just think it’s funny, considering you used to hate him not too long ago.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes and pops a crisp into his mouth. He chews, swallows and gives Rin a look. No,  _the_ look, the definitive Sousuke look. The one that says a million things, but neither of those are positive. It’s very versatile; a look he can use in several situations, especially Rin-situations when he’s too tired to either explain himself or argue any longer.

“I thought you said I should be more friendly with him, so I did what I was told.”

“You sound like you’re my dog”, Rin snorts. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you two get along, I just find it cute.”

“ _Cute_? Oh,  _hell_  no — I’m  _so_  winning this next race so you can eat that disgusting word you just barfed up.”

Sousuke doesn’t win.

 

* * *

 

“Rin thinks we’ve been hanging out a lot recently.”

“Well, we kind of have”, Haru points out, and Sousuke sighs exasperatedly.

“I know, but that wasn’t my point! Isn’t this what those two wanted? And now they’re like ‘oh, you’re hanging out a lot’. Like, what did they expect?”

Haru shrugs and jumps up to get out of the pool. He stretches out a hand to Sousuke, who just looks at it like Haru’s hand’s full of huge, disgusting abscesses. “Dude, I’m double your weight. You’ll pull several muscles if you keep doing that.”

“I’m not swimming competitively anyway, so I don’t care.”

Sousuke glares at him. “So you want to walk like you’re seventy by the time you turn twenty-five? Good thinking, Haru. I’ll get out on my own.”

“But your sh—”

“—is fine. Stop worrying.  _God_ , you’re like the second coming of Makoto or something.”

The two of them make it out of the pool area, walking towards the showers. It’s late, just about closing time, and they’re the last ones left. Sousuke prefers swimming late at night, in case something  _does_  happen, so he won’t have to make such a commotion in front of a lot of people. They’re not really worried about him, anyway, they just pretend to be, whenever they offer him help and give him those god awful looks of pity. He hates it.

“Have you thought about maybe getting back into competitive swimming if your shoulder heals?”

Sousuke turns his head to Haru just before he realises where the hell they are, and the fact that he’s never actually seen Haru naked. When he does, his eyes immediately flit down, and sooner than you could snap your fingers, they go back up again, and he clears his throat. Why the hell’s he feeling all  _flushed_ , all of a sudden?

(And why is this the first time he notices just how  _good_  Haru looks? In the shower, even?!)

“You… think it’s that easy?” he asks, still trying to recover. Haru doesn’t seem to have noticed Sousuke blatantly staring at his dick, but just continues on about his business. “I would if I could. Well, no, okay… guess that’s not entirely true.”

“Why not?”

Sousuke shrugs. “Don’t feel like I’m suited for it. Competitive swimming, that is. I’m not as fired up about it as Rin is, you know?”

“Doesn’t seem like it when you’re in the pool”, Haru counters, and Sousuke sniffs.

“Whatever. Well, what about you, then? Why didn’t  _you_  pursue competitive swimming?”

Haru turns off his shower and goes to fetch his towel. Sousuke silently mourns the loss of the view once the towel is wrapped around Haru’s waist. “Long story, don’t wanna talk about it. Finish your shower and let’s leave already.”

 

* * *

 

_Two hands grab the front of his shirt, yank him down to the other’s level. Lips crash together like waves against the shore; it’s violent, but it’s hot, and Sousuke doesn’t mind the way the other man bites on his lower lip almost to the point of breaking skin. He pushes the other man against the wall behind them, erratic breaths escaping him as they separate for a few seconds, and then he’s back to where they left off._

_He reaches down a hand to the man’s crotch. He’s hard, and it excites Sousuke. Unzipping the trousers with nimble fingers, Sousuke reaches inside, lets his fingers grasp the hard length within the thin fabric of a pair of boxers. Oh, he’s already leaking — someone’s impatient. Sousuke bites back a smirk._

_“So—Sousuke”, comes a voice, a warm breath against his lips, voice sounding like a needy whine, telling him the man needs more than he’s already giving him. Well, it isn’t like he’s willing to leave without getting some for himself, too, so he tries to give not-so-subtle hints to the other to give him some attention, too._

_The two of them end up jerking each other off against that wall, not moving from the spot since it’d only interrupt what they’re doing. Sousuke doesn’t have time for interruptions, he needs this right now, or he’ll burst into flames out of sheer sexual frustration._

_Sousuke clenches his jaw when he gets closer to ejaculation, and the shorter man in front of him pulls him closer with his free hand, resting on Sousuke’s back, fingers grasping at the fabric of Sousuke’s shirt. The way their cocks rub together with their hands around them makes Sousuke almost feel like he’s going to pass out from the sensation._

_“Haru… ka… Haru… I’m— I’m coming. I’m—_ ”

Sousuke wakes with a jolt, sitting straight up in bed and staring out into the darkness of his bedroom. He feels gross, and he doesn’t even have to lift his duvet to know he  _desperately_  needs to shower and probably burn his underwear.

Haru, seriously? Did Nanase fucking Haruka just invade his dream? And did he seriously make Sousuke come, without even  _touching_  him, without being there in the room with him? No matter how this happened, Sousuke’s freaked out beyond his own comprehension, and he quickly kicks the duvet off of him to topple across the bedroom out into the hallway, and into the bathroom.

What the  _hell_  was that about?

 

* * *

 

He’s so pissed with himself that he lets this one dream affect the way he acts around Haru now. If Haru stands too close to him, Sousuke gets flustered and uncomfortable, trying to scoot away ever so discreetly as to not make it noticeable. What the hell’s wrong with him? Anyone can see that this isn’t normal, but Sousuke has no clue as to how to fix it, what to do about it.

“I'm going home with Haru-chan—”

“Stop  _calling_  me that.”

“—so I’ll see you tomorrow, Rin.” Makoto shoots his boyfriend an apologetic look accompanied with a smile, and Rin huffs, disappointed. Sousuke can’t help but roll his eyes.

“Fine. Then I’m sleeping at Sousuke’s place.”

Sousuke turns to glare at his best friend. “Since when? You have to sleep on the floor if you do, because I don’t have a mattress.”

“Whatever works”, Rin says, and begins to walk away. “Call me tomorrow, Makoto.”

“I will. Love you!”

Rin waves a hand half-enthusiastically. “Love you, too. Now come on, Sousuke — don’t just stand there.”

Sousuke clears his throat and carefully looks at Haruka in front of him. “I guess I’m... we’re leaving, then. See you around, Na— er, Haru.”

Haru looks at him with a raised eyebrow, looking amused. “Sure, Sousuke.”

When they’ve said goodbye to the other pair of best friends and are walking towards Sousuke’s apartment, Rin bursts out laughing, upon which Sousuke flinches at the unexpected reaction.

“What?”

“You should’ve seen, hell, even  _heard_ yourself back there.”

Sousuke frowns. “Why, what did I do?”

“You seriously don’t know? Oh my god, it’s so  _obvious_. You have a thing for Haru.” Sousuke stops dead in his tracks at this, and Rin laughs. “Bingo.”

“You’re— that’s wrong”, Sousuke retorts, slightly panicked. “We’re just friends. Like you wanted us to be.”

“And I’m glad you managed to become friends, don’t get me wrong. But Sousuke... I know love when I see it. Didn’t you say I’m a romantic?”

Sousuke opens his mouth to say something, but the words he hasn’t even thought of won’t leave his lips. He doesn’t even remember the last time he was in love, but this... this can’t be  _love_ , can it? He just had a weird dream about Haru, that can’t possibly qualify as romantic feelings.

Of course, said dream isn’t something Sousuke can tell Rin about.

“Talk to him! I think he likes you, too.”

Sousuke finally regains control over his brain again, and glares at Rin. “First of all, I never even confirmed that I  _do_  have feelings for Nanase. Second, why the hell do you  _think_  he likes me, too?”

_Has he said something?_  is a question Sousuke almost asks, but bites the inside of his cheek to keep it in.

“You don’t have to say it, Sousuke, I can tell. Also, I’ve known Haru for a long time. I know when something’s up, and something’s  _definitely_  up. Just talk to him, jeez. You’re friends, at least, it’s much better than when you two kept hating each other all the time and giving each other murderous looks whenever we got together.”

“I don’t  _like_  him!” Sousuke barks. “And stop trying to make things happen that  _won’t_  happen.”

There’s no way he’s in love with Haru. How the hell would that have happened, anyway? When they hung out like friends do? Do all friends fall in love? No. And that isn’t the case this time around, either.

 

* * *

 

It isn’t until he’s been in several very simple, trivial situations with Haru that he slowly begins to realise that Rin probably was right. Standing too close to Haru in his tiny kitchenette when the two of them are put in charge of preparing dinner. How his heart seems to race faster whenever Haru just  _walks past_. How he’s developed a stutter when he gets even a little nervous when talking to Haru.

When he’s had enough of whatever this is, Sousuke finds himself sitting down at his kitchen table with his phone in hand, ready to send off a text message that could either ruin a friendship or change it into something completely different.

Hopefully the latter.

**YOU** :  _Hey, you got fifteen minutes to spare? Need to talk_.

 

He hopes it isn’t  _too_  vague, and that it’ll make Haru suspicious and not want to meet up. They haven’t had any issues in several months of them hanging out, so why should they come back now, of all times? Maybe Haru’s got a knack for sensing these things, somehow? It wouldn’t surprise Sousuke, because it would probably be something Haru’s picked up from Makoto. That guy can sense  _anything_  within a five mile radius.

The response he receives not even two minutes later makes him smile, and that’s when he knows he’s  _really_  done for.

**NANASE, HARUKA** :  _Sure. Coming over to your place in a few_.

 

He tries  _not_  to freak out as Sousuke stands up to begin pacing around his apartment. But when his doorbell rings, Sousuke feels like he’s going to jump right out of his skin, and he nearly topples over on the way to the door. This is ridiculous, he’s acting like a little high schooler on their way to ball or something.

Sousuke opens the door, and he feels like he’s just punctured a lung when he stands face to face with Haru again. Maybe it’s just Rin’s talking that has him acting like this—

No, he’s too far gone to keep trying to deny it.

He lets his guest inside, and while Haruka takes his shoes off, Sousuke shifts uncomfortably where he stands in the hallway. This isn’t like him; he’s not supposed to be this nervous about such a petty thing as a crush.

When they’ve gotten themselves seated on the couch in the living room — Sousuke making sure to leave a little (okay, maybe more than just a little) space between them — he looks Haruka in the eyes despite so badly wanting to look away.

“I hate tiptoeing around things, so I’m just gonna cut to the chase. I like you”, he says, and then exhales slowly. Maybe he was too direct? Maybe he should’ve at least warmed Haru up to it before slamming that confession in his face? But how would he even go about ‘warming up’ to the subject to begin with?

Haruka looks at him, looking beyond surprised with raised eyebrows, eyes widened, and mouth slightly open. He closes his mouth again after a few seconds, and his lips curve up into a little smile.

“I knew”, he says, and Sousuke nearly jumps up from the couch.

“What?!”

“I could tell. You’re kind of transparent, you know. I was just waiting for you to say something, because I didn’t want to freak you out. Guess Rin convinced you.”

Sousuke leans back against the couch, stumped. Suddenly he doesn’t feel so nervous anymore, and he wonders if that’s a good thing or the exact opposite. “I... shit. Really, I’m  _that_  transparent?”

“Yeah.” Haru’s smile grows bigger, and Sousuke feels like he’s going to melt right then and there. “For the record, I like you, too.”

“Then why didn’t  _you_  say anything?!”

At least that would’ve made things ten times easier, probably on the both of them. Haru just shrugs again, and Sousuke’s beyond confused and even upset at this revelation.

Haru suddenly looks embarrassed, raised eyebrows sinking into a frown, and his cheeks slowly turning pink. He looks to the side and huffs. “I’m not good with this. I’ve never confessed to anyone before.”

“And you think I have?”

“You haven’t?”

“No! And— fuck, just... ah, whatever!”

Sousuke puts a hand on the back of Haruka’s neck and pulls him in close. Their noses bump together at first, and Haruka lets out a little giggle that Sousuke knows will one day be the death of him if he hears it again. When he eventually manages to align his face properly, he leans in for the kiss he never thought he’d share with someone like Haruka. Actually, Haruka  _period_.

“Shit”, he breathes when they separate, “Rin was right.”

“Of course he was, idiot.”

But Haru’s smiling when he says it, and it makes Sousuke think that even being called something like ‘idiot’ is okay, as long as it’s uttered by Haruka. It’s strange, but still feels right, somehow.


	78. SouHaru #34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT:[YouTuber!Sousuke sequel](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/10400016).**
> 
> Asked by: [vanillashakelover](http://vanillashakelover.tumblr.com).

“Haru? Haru, is something wrong?”

His elbow slips, nearly all the way off the table, and Haru’s brought back to reality by his best friend’s voice. He realises he’s been blatantly staring at his phone for probably  _too_  long now.

“What?” he says, and Makoto frowns in concern at him.

“You seem a little distracted — is everything okay?”

No, everything  _isn’t_  okay. Haru’s acting like a high school girl, waiting eagerly for her boyfriend to call. Except Haru’s a full-grown man, and he’s  _not_  waiting for someone to call him. Why would he? He’s got far better things to think about, and do. Besides, there’s—

Okay, so maybe he is.  _Maybe_.

“I’m fine, just… didn’t sleep well last night”, he lies. He still hasn’t told Makoto about the recent, very odd events that led to Sousuke promising to call him so they can go on a proper date soon. Wait, did he say ‘soon’, or is that something Haruka just imagined? He’d hate to make a fool out himself, to assume things that might never have happened.

“Okay”, Makoto says, but he doesn’t sound convinced. Thankfully, he lets it go, and returns his attention to the TV in front of them. To be honest, Haru hasn’t been paying attention to that thing since they turned it on. He’s been on edge pretty much all day, yesterday having been the day Sousuke told Haru he’d call.

How long would one have to wait for a call? And how long would you have to wait until you can say it’ll never happen?

He waits that day. And the next. And that entire week, but nothing comes. Haru eventually accepts that Sousuke’s forgotten about him, that it was an empty promise just like Haru had expected celebrities to give people, just so they could get rid of them. Haru’s ashamed that he got so attached so fast, and that he even believed for a second that Sousuke would call him, or even send him a text message.

It isn’t until he’s completely forgotten all about Sousuke’s promise that a phone call actually comes, and Sousuke’s got very bad timing. Of course. Haru’s at work when he sees his phone light up with  _that_  name on the display, but he resists the urge to pick it up and rush outside. There are still customers that need tending to, and he doesn’t feel confident enough to leave the pastry shop in Nagisa’s hands.

Eventually, it stops ringing, and he instead receives a text message. He leaves it, and goes to greet the new customers having walked in.

It’s a Friday, so of course that means they’re busy, even though it’s just past lunch time, and people should be back at work by now. To be fair, the majority of people walking in to buy bread or pastries are retired people, but with the occasional middle-aged or slightly below coming in to buy something small.

When they finally close at five, Haru uses the bathroom as an excuse to take his phone out and look at the message he received hours ago. Taking a deep breath, Haru presses on the message to read it.

**YAMAZAKI, SOUSUKE** :  _Sorry I haven’t called earlier, I’ve been super fucking busy this week, with literally no breaks. Cruel. Anyway, you free tomorrow? I want to take you out. Fancy dinner, this time. If you ARE free, I don’t want to hear any complaints, because I’m taking you there no matter what._

Haru bites back a laugh and tells Sousuke he’s indeed free the next day, upon which Sousuke tells him he’ll pick Haru up at seven if he sends Sousuke his address. So he does, and when he’s had a chance to gather himself a bit, Haru splashes some cold water on his face before going back out into the shop.

“ _There_  you are, Haru-chan, i was getting worried you’d flushed yourself down the toilet”, Nagisa says as he returns behind the counter to clean up. Haru gives his friend a pointed glare, and Nagisa smiles innocently at him. Yeah… he knows.

They clean up, and then close shop for the day. Nagisa’s going to meet his boyfriend, and Haru’s heading home, which is in the opposite direction. He’s still thinking about Sousuke’s text messages when he walks home, and nearly ends up walking right into a lamppost as a result.

 

* * *

 

**YOU** :  _Can you come over? Need some help. Promise not to freak out when I tell you why_.

 

Haru sighs and turns back to the mirror, glaring at his reflection like it’s his worst enemy. Well, after tonight, he’ll know whether or not he should consider himself as such.

**TACHIBANA, MAKOTO** :  _Sure! Can’t promise anything when you put it that way, but I’ll try. Be over in a sec!_

 

Haru rolls his eyes, but leaves it, and turns back to try and go over his hair one more time. He doesn’t usually style it, or do anything special with it at all, but since he’s going on an actual  _date_  tonight, he figured he could at least comb through it once or twice.

“Haru, I’m coming in”, he hears from the hall downstairs, and he lets out a tiny sigh of relief.

“Upstairs”, he calls back, and goes to open his closet. He’s been rummaging through it several times already, but he can’t find anything that would be good enough for a date. A date with  _Yamazaki Sousuke_ , even. He could probably get away with wearing anything in his closet besides sweatpants had it been a regular date with a regular person, but since this isn’t such an occasion, he knows he’ll have to step up his fashion game a bit.

It hurts his manhood a bit to think about it, but he wonders if maybe he should’ve asked Rin for advice, since that guy’s got a pretty good fashion sense in general, and has an abundance of clothes. They’ve got pretty much the same size, so it isn’t like anything Rin has in his closet wouldn’t fit Haru.

“Oh, there you are”, Makoto says upon walking inside. He looks at Haru, and laughs, after which Haru scoffs, offended.

“What?”

“Nothing. What’s the occasion?”

“Date tonight.”

“What?!”

Haru winces, and grimaces in distaste at Makoto’s volume. “Don’t make me deaf before I go.”

“Sorry, but… a date?  _You_?”

He scoffs, offended. “What, it’s  _that_  unexpected?”

Makoto shrugs. “I guess? I mean, I didn’t think you were a dating kind of person. Well, I’m glad for you, don’t get me wrong! So, who’s the lucky person?”

Does Makoto know who Sousuke is? Haru’s never really discussed his ‘hobby’ of watching certain YouTube videos with his best friend, so he doesn’t know how well-versed Makoto is when it comes to such things. Haru’s pretty sure that the only thing Makoto really looks up on YouTube is cat videos, so the chances of him knowing about Sousuke might be slim. He decides to take a risk.

“You don’t know who he is. His name’s Sousuke.”

Makoto hums. “Well, I hope things go well. And that I get to meet him one day.”

“You probably will. Now help me find something to wear.”

 

* * *

 

After Makoto’s helped Haru pick out an acceptable outfit for his date — he’s  _really_  got to go shopping for new clothes,  _wow —_ he manages to shoo his friend out of his house just minutes before his doorbell rings. Haru straightens his shirt out for the umpteenth time, clears his throat and goes to open the door.

“Hey”, Sousuke says when the door opens, and he cocks a head in the opposite direction. “Taxi’s waiting. You ready?”

Haru has to fight the urge to literally drop his jaw at the way Sousuke looks. It’s almost as if Sousuke’s consciously  _teasing_  Haru by wearing that black v-neck that so obviously shows off his chest muscles. Yeah, there’s no way those muscles came from gym training only; he’s got to have done some sport in high school. And if it isn’t swimming, then Haru’s seriously lost his ability to read people, and needs to step up his game.

“I— y-yeah”, he stutters, and grabs his keys from the hallway table.

Having locked the door behind him, he follows Sousuke down the steps and onto the pavement, by which there’s indeed a taxi waiting for them. Even if it’s ‘just’ a taxi, Haru finds himself wondering just how much Sousuke’s earning by making those music videos on YouTube and releasing the occasional album, as he’s apparently able to take a taxi wherever he goes. Haru has no idea how that business works, so he can’t even bring himself to estimate Sousuke’s monthly earnings.

They spend the car ride in relative silence; Haru looking out the window at the scenery they pass on their way to the restaurant he still doesn’t know the name of. He doesn’t even know what kind of food they serve — is it Japanese? Italian? Chinese? What kind of food does Sousuke even like?

Head filled with question marks, Haru soon realises they’re slowing down, and that the taxi finally stops. He looks out the window, and his eyes immediately land on the big sign hanging above the door, which says something in a language he’s never seen before. It isn’t Chinese, so it’s definitely Italian. Okay, so he’d been right in  _one_  of his guesses.

“You okay with Italian?” Sousuke asks, confirming his guess. Haru nods stiffly.

“Yeah. I mean... I’ve never had Italian before”, he admits, and Sousuke just smiles.

“All the better. I know you’re just gonna  _love_  it.”

Having paid for the taxi fare, Sousuke leads Haru out and into the restaurant, where they’re soon shown to the table Sousuke’s reserved for them. Haru’s a bit overwhelmed by everything Sousuke’s gone through just for their first date, and wonders if this is how he always goes about his first dates. Because Haru knows he can’t possibly be the first one; just another one in the line of many others.

After being seated, Haru looks around him at the décor of the restaurant. The tables all have a red and white chequered cloth draped over them, the cutlery is placed neatly to his left and right, with two forks and two knives, a spoon laid out in front of him horizontally. This is worlds apart from what he’s used to, with just a pair of chopsticks placed on the table before he’s served, and Sousuke seems to notice his surprise.

"You doing okay? You look like you’ve seen a unicorn or something”, he says. Haru feels his ears burn, and he looks down at the cloth on the table.

“I’m fine”, he says, despite feeling ridiculously nervous. Sousuke, of course, doesn’t buy his blatant lie, and takes his hand over the table. He runs his thumb over the back of Haru’s hand, rubbing small circles.

“Nothing to be nervous about”, he says in a soft voice. “’S just me, and it’s just dinner. For now.”

“Great”, Haru mumbles. “Really calming my nerves.”

Sousuke just laughs, but thankfully it doesn’t sound like he’s mocking Haru. He’s got enough to worry about as is.

Despite his nerves, Haru manages to actually enjoy his pasta with Italian sausage and tomatoes, and the dinner in general. It’s also the first time he drinks red wine, and he doesn’t think he’ll have it again any time soon, for several reasons.

Sousuke’s the one carrying the conversation forward; eagerly asking Haru questions about the pastry shop, about the friends he hangs out with, how someone can be  _that_  much of a scaredy cat — Makoto, of course — and lots of other questions that nearly make Haru’s head spin.

“What about you, then?” he asks when Sousuke’s ‘roast’ of him seems to have ended. “How did you end up... doing YouTube stuff?”

Sousuke shrugs. “It started out as something super casual, just a video because a friend of mine said I should ‘share my voice with others’. Seemed dumb, but I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. Then it kinda took off when a talk show host showed my video on TV, and... well, things just happened on their own after that. Weird, really.”

“Huh”, Haru replies, having it accidentally come out sounding like he’s uninterested, and he clears his throat, starting over. “But you like it?"

“Yeah”, Sousuke says before emptying the little he’s got left in his glass. He picks up the bottle and gives Haru a questioning look, upon which Haru just shakes his head. “Suit yourself. Yeah, I guess I do. I mean, the nice comments and people coming up to me occasionally to say hey or ask for a picture or autograph is nice. But not being able to walk around wherever I want because of nosy journalists and paparazzi, and always having to worry about my language around people is... tiring.”

Haru smiles. “I see. Well, as long as you find it more enjoyable than the opposite.”

“I do. Guess I’ll stick with it for a little while longer, but I’m thinking about getting a ‘real’ job one day, too. This won’t help pay my bills for as long as I live, after all.”

 

* * *

 

Nearly three hours after they first entered the restaurant, the two of them leave, full and satisfied. Aside from the wine, Haru would definitely consider having Italian again, even if it does mean him forsaking his usual diet of mackerel. It’s strange to think, and he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Haru feels like he could forfeit his ‘diet’ several times if it just means him going out with Sousuke again.

“So”, Haru says as they’re standing outside his door. “Thanks... for tonight. I really enjoyed it.”

“Me too”, Sousuke agrees. “And the food was good, too.”

Haru smiles. “Funny guy.”

“Glad you think so.”

A few seconds pass during which Haru barely even dares to breathe. He chews on his bottom lip in hesitation, but then decides to just go for it. It’s been a good night so far, and he doesn’t see a reason for it to end quite yet.

“Do you want to come in?” he asks. “Unless you’ve got somewhere else to be.”

Sousuke laughs. “When it’s ten at night? No, I don’t. And I’d love to. Thanks.”

He barely has time to let Sousuke in before he’s pinned up against the wall, his lips captured in a kiss.

Yeah, it’s definitely been a good night. And while he doesn’t want to be over-confident, Haru thinks this isn’t the last time they’ll go out on a date. He’ll make sure that it isn’t.


	79. MakoRei #16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRei hike, it's pretty shitty and filled with bugs and not beautiful, but they get to the top and Rei is so relieved he obviously must make out grossly with Makoto or something over a nice view. Which, if they stopped making out, they might actually have noticed. Or they can just be regular gross and enjoy the view. Either way they still have to hike back down.**
> 
> Asked by: [iskabee](http://iskabee.tumblr.com).

“A  _hike_?”

There’s no mistaking that dubious tone in Rei’s voice, and Makoto wonders if it’s such a good idea after all. To be honest, Makoto’s intentions with said hike are anything but pure and innocent, but he’d hoped Rei would realised that from the start. Apparently, he didn’t.

“You don’t want to go?”

Rei shrugs. “I guess I haven’t really thought about going on a hike before. But… sure, let’s do it. It sounds fun.”

Somehow, he doesn’t sound too convinced by the idea, or enthusiastic, for that matter. Makoto frowns a little.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to if you don’t want to, we can just do something else instead.”

Rei shakes his head and leans forward to give Makoto a quick kiss. “No, let’s do it, now you’ve gotten me interested. On one condition, though — I get to bring the tent. I’ve seen the one you have in the shed in your backyard, and I don’t think it’ll hold up for possible windy conditions. We have to be prepared for those things.”

Makoto laughs. “Fair enough.”

That Friday evening, Makoto packs his duffel bag with a change of clothes and sleep-wear, a flash-light, a blanket, and a bunch of other necessities, leaving out the sandwiches and water bottles he’ll pack down in the morning. He’s probably being too meticulous, but he’d rather bring  _too_  much stuff than realising when they’re out there that he’s forgotten a lot at home.

Rei is in charge of their food, as he had refused to burden his or Makoto’s parents with preparing the food they’ll bring on their hike. And of course, Makoto hadn’t been allowed to do it, either, but it isn’t as if he’s surprised or even that much offended. He knows he still has a lot to improve on before he can be put in charge of cooking for a hike, or just cooking for people other than himself period.

“Onii-chan, can we come, too?”

He hears a set of footsteps pitter-patter across the floor behind him, and prepares for Ren to jump up on his back. When Ren does, Makoto isn’t even startled, but just sighs in response as he puts his arms under Ren’s legs.

“No”, he says. “Next time, maybe.”

“What?! That’s unfair!” Ren cries. “I want to go hiking with Rei nii-chan, too!”

“That’s why I said next time”, Makoto laughs, reaching a hand up to pet his brother’s head. “Just stay home and be a good boy. Don’t cause Ran any unnecessary trouble, okay?”

Ren gives in with a pout, and leaves Makoto to finish packing his things.

At a quarter to eight the following morning, Makoto’s packed down the sandwiches and water bottles filled mostly with ice, and he’d sneaked out the door before the twins had a chance to wake up and once again try to get him to bring them along. He’s supposed to meet Rei by the big cross-walk just between their houses in just under fifteen minutes, but it isn’t that far of a walk, so he’ll definitely be on time.

It’s still a little chilly out, but that’s why he’s wearing a thin jacket and a long-sleeved shirt underneath. His boots are barely worn in, so they’re still a little awkward to walk in, but he figures the walking they’ll do today will properly warm them up for him and make them more comfortable. He only ever really uses his gym shoes or sneakers when he’s out, and then he’s got a different pair of boots during winter.

When he reaches the cross-walk, he’s the first one to arrive. He leans against a lamppost and puts his duffel bag down by his feet, looking around him. The little town of Iwatobi is still pretty much asleep, with barely any cars going past him, and none of the shops have opened yet except for the Seven-Eleven down the road which he just passed.

(He’d been tempted to stop by and get himself a Danish or something, but knew that if Rei saw him munching on that thing at eight in the morning, he’d just give Makoto a disapproving look, until Makoto would feel so guilty he wouldn’t be able to finish his pastry. So he refrained, saving himself roughly a hundred and seventy yen.)

“Makoto!” he hears from his left, and turns to face the source of the voice calling his name. Makoto smiles upon seeing Rei hurriedly make his way up to him, and when he stops in front of his boyfriend, Makoto’s smile widens.

“Good morning, sleepyhead”, he teases and kisses his boyfriend, who flinches. When he pulls back, Rei glares at him and huffs.

“I didn’t oversleep, I had forgotten some important ingredients in our bento boxes, that’s all”, Rei says and sniffs, looking offended. “I didn’t want it to be  _inedible_ , you know.”

“Alright, I’m just kidding”, Makoto replies and puts his hands up in a placating gesture. He lifts his duffel bag up again and slings one of the straps over his shoulder. Now let’s go, so we won’t get to the top of that hill when it’s dark out.”

 

* * *

 

It takes them about ten minutes to get out of the city area of Iwatobi, and then reach the forest-y parts. The leaves are still green, but it’s just about to switch over to autumn weather soon. So maybe this’ll be one of the last outdoor activities they’ll actually be able to enjoy before it gets too cold to do things outside.

The beginning of their ascent up the hill is peaceful. The only sounds heard are birds chirping above their heads, and the distant buzz of cars as the city has slowly started to awaken. The further up the hill they go, the less they’ll hear from the city below. It’s a popular spot for hiking and camping, yet this is Makoto’s first time ever really going.

And as the sun gradually warms the ground and air up around them, he begins to realise why his family’s never brought him up here before.

Rei stops once again to shake his trousers from the bugs continually finding their way up his shoes and then up his legs. Makoto’s had to do the same thing a few time only since they started walking up the hill in the forest, and he’s quickly growing impatient.

“I know I don’t say this about a lot of things”, Rei says as he puts his backpack on again with a sigh, “but I really despise bugs. Everything that’s got more than four legs and is smaller than my hand, I don’t want it anywhere  _near_  me. This isn’t beautiful.”

Makoto smiles awkwardly. “It’ll probably get better the further up we go.”

“Yes, probably — but we still have a pretty long way to go. You  _do_  know how steep and long this climb is, right?”

“I don’t”, Makoto admits, and Rei rolls his eyes.

“Well, this was your idea, so don’t you dare back out on me now. I’m blaming you for any possible accidents or other bad things that may happen. Let’s go.”

Unfortunately, they don’t make it very far until they reach, what Rei dubs it as, mosquito paradise. Big mosquitoes flying up in their faces, trying to squeeze in through their sleeves, ending up on the inside of Rei’s glasses which he ends up putting in his pocket when he grows too frustrated with having to remove them to wave the insects away, only for them to return within seconds.

Makoto feels Rei’s frustration bubbling beneath the surface, and he feels terrible for having suggested this in the first place, having originally thought it’d be a fun, unusual thing for them to do. As scared as he is of conflicts, he doesn’t say anything, and just keeps walking behind Rei, who apparently knows quite a lot about these areas.

The gods must have decided to be extra cruel to them today, because as they’ve made it a little more than halfway up the hill after a short sandwich break, the rain starts pouring down quite heavily. And of course, neither of them brought an umbrella.

“I should’ve expected this”, Rei grumbles, and Makoto hunches his shoulders. They’re currently standing under a tree in an attempt to seek cover from the rain. Not that it helps that much, as there’s water occasionally dripping down on them, but it’s at least better than  _not_  standing under a tree.

Though Makoto’s pretty sure he’s the only one at least  _trying_  to see the positive in this situation. Well, he kind of  _has_  to, having been the one to propose this idea to begin with.

“We can’t have  _too_  long left to go, right?” he tries in a sheepish voice, and Rei shrugs.

“Not really, no. But it doesn’t seem like this rain will let down any time soon, so we’re kind of stuck. Unless you want to walk in the rain.”

“I don’t.”

“Then we wait.”

And they do. They wait; Rei standing with his arms crossed over his chest, Makoto with his hands shoved down the pockets on his jacket, which he doesn’t really need anymore since it’s plenty comfortable in the air. It provides him a certain safety with him having the ability to stick his hands down the pockets on it, as the pockets on his tracksuit trousers are far too small. (Honestly, whoever came up with these and had the audacity to  _call_  them pockets deserves a slap in the face.)

It takes about ten minutes and an incredibly awkward silence, but the rain finally lets up, and Rei puts his backpack on. Makoto readjusts his duffel bag, and the two continue up the seemingly never-ending hill. At this point, Makoto’s completely lost track of time, and it doesn’t even occur to him that he’s got his wristwatch on as always, because he’s so intent on putting an end to their suffering and reach the top of that goddamn hill if it so costs him his life.

Okay, so maybe not to  _that_  point. But still, he doesn’t want to give up now that they’ve made it so far, and don’t have too long to go.

 

* * *

 

As they get closer to the top of the — to them, or at least to Rei  — cursed hill, the weather gets better and better, as if to mock them, now that they’ve had to endure literally every bad thing that’s come to them during this uphill climb that somehow makes Makoto think it’s a metaphor for something.

“There it is. Finally”, Rei breathes, and Makoto lifts his gaze.

They’ve finally reached the top of the hill, seeing the entire town of Iwatobi below them, the buildings the size of ants, street lights are mere dots. It’s a breathtaking sight Makoto knows he won’t be able to forget for a while.

Before he’s able to properly take it in, a hand grabs the front of his shirt and turns him a little, yanks him down, after which Rei’s lips meet his, and he’s taken aback, but he’s too exhausted to flinch of really react in any way whatsoever besides returning the kiss. Rei gets so riveted in the entire thing that he backs Makoto up against a tree, the impact sending small droplets down on their heads from the leaves and branches.

When they separate, they’re both slightly out of breath despite having swimmer’s lungs, and Makoto detects a faint blush creeping into Rei’s cheeks, dyeing them a light pink that he wouldn’t have seen had he stood further away. He smiles.

“So here I thought we’d see the view since we’re actually up here now”, he murmurs. Rei sniffs.

“Couldn’t help myself. I don’t know what came over me all of a sudden. I’m sorry if you didn’t like—”

“I did”, Makoto says, interrupting Rei’s rambling. He tends to do that when he gets nervous or flustered, and Makoto finds it cute. “Well, I guess we’ll have all day here, anyway. And the night, too.”

“Yeah. I suppose. Maybe this  _wasn’t_  such a bad idea, after all.”

“If it hadn’t been for the mosquitoes, and the rain.”

Rei laughs. “You’re right. Don’t take me wrong, though... I don’t think I want to do this again anytime soon.”

Honestly, Makoto doesn’t, either. He smiles back, but when realisation hits, it fades, and is replaced by a look of horror on his face.

“I just realised something.”

“What?”

“We still have to get all the way back down.”

Rei stares at him as if it  _hadn’t_  occurred to him that they still need to go back home sometime, and then he lets out a dragged out groan. “Well, at least we’re not spending the night up here.”

Makoto bursts out laughing. “Yeah, I guess that’s a good thing, with all the bugs and whatnot.”

“And you’re scared of the dark.”

“Am not! I’ve actually grown out of that.”

Rei raises an eyebrow, amused. “Oh, really? Then let’s stay the night; we can sleep on the blanket with our clothes still on so it won’t get cold. What do you say? It might even be cosy.”

“With the  _bugs_?!”

“Don’t blame the bugs for your fear of the dark!”

They don’t spend the night, but make their way back down after just a few hours up on the hill. Thankfully, their trek back down is far less cruel, but they still both agree that this is something they won’t do again in the near — or even distant — future.


	80. SouHaru #35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: During a party, Haru has to sit on Sousuke's lap due to a lack of places for him to sit, and Sousuke's got an armchair all to himself.**
> 
> Asked by: [daxii](http://daxii.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a ROLL today. (I feel like I've said that before.)

"Lucky me!”

Nagisa plops down right in between Rei and Makoto on the sofa, Rin on the other side of Makoto. He grins triumphantly, and Rei gives him a pointed look.

“You aren’t really making any room for Haruka-senpai with the way you’re sitting, you know. Where’s he going to sit now?”

Nagisa waves him off dismissively. “He’ll be fine! There are pillows, right? He could just sit on the floor or something.”

Rin snorts before taking a drink from his beer can. “Yeah, not like  _that_  guy’s gonna want to sit on the floor when everyone else’s got a proper place to sit. I bet you he’s going to walk in here, look around for just  _two_  seconds, and Makoto’s going to offer him to sit on his lap.”

“Ohoho, sounds like someone’s  _jealous_ ”, Nagisa says in that teasing tone of his, and Rin flips him off.

“Shut up, I’m not jealous. I’m just saying Makoto’s too nice sometimes.”

“ _Sometimes_ ”, comes Sousuke’s scoff from the armchair, and Rin glares at him, too, making sure to have every one of his friends present turn into his enemy by the end of the night.

“What about you, then, hogging that entire armchair to yourself?”

“My house”, Sousuke shrugs. “Hazuki’s right; Nanase can sit on the floor. Where he belongs.”

“Sousuke, that’s mean”, Makoto says, but Rin snorts a laugh. Haruka finally emerges from the kitchen at this point, a bottle of cider in hand, and as expected, he glances around the room with a raised eyebrow and look of slight disappointment.

“Thanks for saving me a spot”, he says dryly. “What’s this, the very definition of a loveseat?”

The two couples on the couch look at each other almost simultaneously, which prompts yet another snort from Sousuke, and a roll of Haruka’s eyes.

“Sorry, Haru-chan”, Nagisa says, except he doesn’t sound the least bit sorry. “You can sit on the floor? Sou-chan probably has a bunch of pillows.”

Haru’s look of disappointment turns into disgust. “Thanks, I’d pass. I bet he hasn’t washed the covers on those in years.”

“Fuck you, Nanase. I  _would_  have offered you a pillow had you been a decent human being, but now I won’t. Suit yourself.”

Haru continues to stand around as he takes a rather large swig from his bottle. A small hiccup escapes him, and he proceeds to sit on the armrest on the couch instead, next to Rin.

“Oi, get off, you’ll ruin it”, Sousuke snaps, and Haru glares daggers at him.

“Just making the best out of the situation, Yamazaki.”

“Sit on the floor!”

“Not going to sit on your floor.”

Sousuke sighs exasperatedly and looks at Makoto. “How the  _hell_  have you put up with this guy your entire life? Seriously, your patience knows no limits.”

Makoto shakes his head. “Haru isn’t that bad, Sousuke.”

“Enough bickering, you guys have to scoot a little closer”, Haru says, and it’s evident that the alcohol has already begun to affect him.

Rin looks at him like he’s completely lost his mind. “Are you insane? I’m not gonna have us all sit packed like sardines on this already tiny couch. Oh, hang on”, he says, and there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he makes eye contact with Nagisa. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

It doesn’t even take Nagisa a second to catch on, and now he’s mirroring Rin’s cunning look.

“I think so, Rin-rin. Sou-chan, would you be so opposed to let Haru-chan sit on your lap?”

As expected, Sousuke looks at Nagisa with an incredulous borderline offended look, like he’s been asked to have a donkey sit on his lap. Well, to Sousuke, it's pretty much the same thing, at least when it comes to stubbornness.

“You really  _are_  insane. Excuse the language, but fuck no. I wouldn’t want his bony ass to give me bruises on my thighs. How do you explain that to people?”

“Your legskins will cover those up just fine. Come on, Sou-chan, just for tonight?”

Sousuke and Haruka share a look, and while Haruka just looks like he’ll take whatever at this point — well, besides the floor — Sousuke has an absolutely murderous look in his eyes. He knows that if he continues to argue, Makoto’s going to jump in and try to convince him.

And Sousuke knows that if it comes to that point, he’ll be completely powerless. No one can stand up against Makoto’s bargaining or pleading. He wonders why that guy wants to become a swimming coach when he should go into something like real estate or law. Just imagining being against lawyer Tachibana Makoto in court sends shivers down Sousuke’s spine.

“Fine, whatever. Get your bony ass over here, Nanase.”

Haru doesn’t look too sure about it, either, but he relents, walking over to Sousuke and tentatively sitting down on his lap. Sousuke winces, even though he finds that Haru  _doesn’t_  have a bony ass, and that he’s pretty much as light as he’d originally imagined. Scrawny kid, that’s for sure.

“Yeah, you’re bony alright”, he mutters, and Haru turns back to glare at him.

 

* * *

 

As the evening goes on, they manage to send less and less hostile glares at each other, and just to sit like ‘normal people’. Well, normal people probably wouldn’t sit on each others lap if they weren’t dating. And these two are as far from dating as two people could get, despite actually having buried the hatchet a while ago. Going from enemies to friends takes a long time, especially when it comes to two stubborn people named Sousuke and Haruka.

As Haruka’s emptied his third bottle for the evening, Sousuke notices he gets more and more unstable where he sits. As much as he doesn’t want to touch Haru more than he has to, something inside him tells him he should probably try and keep Haru in place so he won’t have the others blame him for ‘deliberately’ having Haru fall down onto the floor. And as much as he’d  _love_  to see that happen, he knows he won’t get to take pleasure in it.

So he takes a deep breath through his nose as he plants his hands on Haru’s hips to steady him, and as he thought, Haru turns around to look at him with a slightly cloudy look in his eyes.

“You starting to take a liking to me after all this time, Yamazaki?” he slurs, and Sousuke rolls his eyes for the fifty-eleventh time that evening.

“Hell no. Just making sure you’re not falling ass first onto the floor. Or maybe head first, if you’re  _really_  unlucky.

Haru snorts softly, and  _leans back_  against Sousuke, who flinches. “Sweet of you. Thanks.”

“Get a room”, Nagisa says from the couch and snickers. Rei gives him a hard and stern look, but the corners of his mouth are twitching. Oh, what the hell, it’s just for tonight.

And maybe it’s just the alcohol talking, but Sousuke finds himself less and less bothered by having Haruka sit on his lap, even though he isn’t easily affected by alcohol.

... Okay, no, he’s  _definitely_  blaming the alcohol for that one.


	81. SouHaru #36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru calling Sousuke 'daddy', and Sousuke getting turned on by it.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ascending further down into hell with this, I believe. Thanks to the lovely [daxii](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxii) and [maybeillride](http://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeillride) for the inspiration! Heh.

“Come  _on_ , Haruka — I don’t want to stay here all night. It’s getting dark, and the water’s probably freezing by now.”

“Not really, no”, Haru says and dives back under the surface, much to Sousuke’s chagrin.

“You’re gonna catch a cold!” he says in a raised voice, but even though Haru’s now back above the surface, he isn’t paying any attention to his boyfriend standing by the opposite end of the communal pool. Honestly, Sousuke was a fool to believe the two of them would be able to have a casual swim in the pool and leave peacefully. When will he ever learn?

“ _Seriously_ , Haruka, get out of there. We’ll get yelled at soon if we don’t leave. Or they’ll send the dogs on us.”

“Are you scared of dogs, Sousuke?”

He snorts. “No. But I don’t want to get in trouble just because my stubborn boyfriend refuses to get his ass out of the pool. We have a bath tub at home you can sit in all night if you want to.”

Finally, Haru gives in with an exasperated sigh that echoes throughout the empty pool area, and he hoists himself up on his hands from the pool. Walking up to Sousuke, he makes sure Sousuke sees the roll of his eyes.

“Whatever,  _Dad_.”

"I’m not your fucking dad!” Sousuke retorts and follows him back into the showers.

“You sure act like it sometimes. You’re like my dad, and Makoto acts like my mum. Imagine if you dated  _him_  instead.”

Sousuke grimaces in slight disgust as he turns to get his shower running.  _No_. As much as he likes and respects Makoto — with emphasis on  _respects_ , that guy is  _not_  one to mess around with — he could never see himself dating the guy. Besides, he’s got Rin, anyway, and the two are like made for each other. And he’s very much happy with Haru.

... That is, when Haru’s isn’t being a little shit.

“I’m not gonna date Tachibana, idiot.”

“Well, good, otherwise this would’ve been awkward”, Haru says, and lets the water pelt him all over his face, closing his eyes and effectively putting a stop to the subject, which Sousuke appreciates.

He has to hold back a snort at just how  _orgasmic_  his boyfriend looks. He’ll never get used to the look Haru has on his face when he’s immersed in water, be it in a shower, in their bath tub or in a pool. It’s almost to the point where he gets jealous of water, of the fact that mere water’s able to put that kind of expression on Haru’s face by just being  _water_ , and Sousuke has to put actual effort into making it happen himself. Not a lot, but still more than water has to.

 

* * *

 

Haru’s standing on his toes in the kitchen, and trying to reach a bowl on the top shelf. He’s too stubborn to get a chair, because getting one means he’s once again admitting to being short. And he doesn’t think he is. Well, unless he’s standing next to someone like… most of his friends. Excluding Nagisa. Being with Nagisa makes him feel  _normal_ , like he  _isn’t_  a midget, like Sousuke likes to call him. ‘Affectionately’, he says.

Sousuke walks in on him in the middle of said struggle, and he snorts. “Climb out of the pit, why don’t you?”

Glaring over his shoulder, Haru huffs. “Just help me.”

But Sousuke leans against the door frame into the kitchen, crossing his arms and wearing that god awful, smug smile Haru despises. “Just get a chair or something, we’ve got plenty.”

“Sousuke”, Haru says in a warning tone. No reaction. He then gets an idea, an invisible light bulb turning on above his head, and then he matches Sousuke’s disgusting smirk. “ _Please, Daddy_.”

Sousuke flinches. “Could you give that  _up_  already?!” he hisses, but Haru’s only just getting warmed up. He gives up the whole standing-on-toes act he’s doing and walks over to stand right in front of Sousuke, looking up at him with his trademark deadpan look, despite wanting to laugh.

“But why? I can  _clearly_  see you enjoying this. Besides, this is my revenge. For all the times you’ve poked fun at my height and acting like you’re the older one. Don’t forget I’m almost three months older than you.”

“Last day of June, Haruka”, Sousuke says as an unnecessary reminder, stubbornly continuing the argument that he’s not going to win no matter what, and he’s painfully aware of that.

“Okay, but it’s still two months. Still, you can’t deny you’re enjoying this.”

Sousuke frowns. "Okay, you might be older; but you're a fucking shrimp so people can't tell."

"So you admit you look like my daddy?"

Again, that fucking smirk Haru has is so frustrating  _and_  sexy at the same time — Sousuke hates how Haru’s able to pull that off and for him not to be  _completely_  frustrated by it.

"Fuck you", he bites back, and Haru raises an eyebrow in sheer amusement.

"Oh, please do...  _Daddy_."

A low growl barely escapes Sousuke’s throat as he pushes Haru back and up against the kitchen counter. He feels Haru smiling against his lips when they kiss, and he tries to erase it by nearly shoving his tongue down Haru’s throat. When he pulls away, cheeks slightly flushed and his breathing slightly irregular, Haru’s  _still_  smiling, that fucking tease.

And when Haru puts his knee up between Sousuke’s thighs, rubbing up against his growing erection, he’s pretty much grinning from ear to ear, and Sousuke feels absolutely mortified.

“Told you so, Dad—”

“ _Stop_  that!”


	82. SouHaru #37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke fears spiders like death. One time, he meets one inside the shower, and calls Haru to help him while plastered against the opposite wall.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com).

The silence in the room is nice, and Haru feels like he might just fall asleep right then and there. But he’s still got to take a shower before he can do so, even though he doesn’t quite want to get out of this warmth just yet. He’s not sure if he’ll ever get used to being able to lie in Sousuke’s arms like this, without either of them having to say something to break the tranquillity.

Sadly, though, Sousuke cuts their post-coital cuddling short when he gently pries Haruka’s arms off of him, and sits up in bed. “I’m taking a shower first. I’m faster than you, and I know I’d just fall asleep waiting for you to get out of there.” 

Haru snorts softly, hugging Sousuke’s pillow instead. “Fine. Hurry up.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes at him as he gets up. “You don’t even have to say that, you know I won’t take more than five. Don’t miss me too much.”

Resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at Sousuke like the child he is, he instead just enjoys watching Sousuke exit their bedroom, still completely naked, fully displaying those back muscles of his, and not to mention the  _ass_. Pulling the duvet up over his mouth, Haru smiles to himself.

He could probably take a bath, but that might put him to sleep, too. And Sousuke wouldn’t even  _allow_  him to take a bath this late, and after the sex they just had, which wore out the both of them. Besides, showers take less time, too.

Just before he’s about to fall asleep, Haru hears a blood-curling, not at all manly scream come from the bathroom across the hallway. His eyes snap open and he immediately sit up in bed, ears perked at the sudden noise.

“Haruka, get in here!” Sousuke bellows, most of his normal voice restored. Haru quickly rummages through his memories of the past day, trying to think of something he could’ve done in the bathroom that would cause Sousuke to yell at him like that. But nothing comes up, and he’s even more confused.

He involuntarily gets out of bed with a groan, and ambles out into the hallway towards their bathroom. The water isn’t running, and Haru wonders if Sousuke’s already done in the shower. He hasn’t really kept count on the minutes Sousuke’s spent in there, but it can’t have been more than at most five.

When he opens the door to the bathroom, he sees Sousuke standing on the opposite side of where the shower tap is, back and hands to the wall with a horrified expression on his face. Haru raises his eyebrows.

“What are you doing?”

“Get that...  _thing_... out of here”, Sousuke hisses. “Kill it, make sure it won’t breed more of those satanic creatures. What are you waiting for?!”

“Is that what you called me in here to do? To kill a spider?” Haru says as he’s eyeing the little critter on the wall by the mirror, crawling back and forth as if it’s unsure of where to go. Sousuke huffs impatiently.

“Yes!”

“Why won’t  _you_  do it?”

“I’m not gonna touch that thing, are you an idiot?”

Haru shrugs. “You don’t  _have_  to touch it. Use the shampoo bottle to smash it if you’re that bothered by it. I didn’t know you were afraid of spiders.”

Sousuke, still glued to the wall, glares daggers at his boyfriend. “I’m not scared of them, they’re just disgusting. I hate bugs. Anything smaller than a kitten and I’m not touching it.”

“Rodents?”

“Fuck no! Why do people even have those as  _pets_? That should be illegal.”

Haru holds back a snort, shaking his head as he walks over to the tub and calmly turns on the tap. It isn’t often he thinks like this, but right now he feels like he’s too old for these things, but also too tired.

“Since you’re hogging up the shower for so long, I’m just gonna take a bath instead. Wake me up if I fall asleep.”

“What— but... the spider?”

Haru shrugs. “I don’t mind it. It’s not a  _poisonous_  spider, you know.”

Sousuke looks at him in stunned silence for a few seconds before he sighs exasperatedly. Still wet and still naked, Sousuke grabs the shampoo bottle on the shelf and cautiously — almost  _too_  cautiously — approaches the spider now sitting on the mirror itself. While Haru’s sitting down by the bath tub to check the temperature of the water, he discreetly looks at Sousuke in the corner of his eye.

It takes him a few minutes, but Sousuke works up the courage to finally whack the spider, which conveniently ends up in the sink. He turns on the tap and lets it run for a few seconds before turning off, and then he sighs again, but this time in relief.

“Thanks a lot for the  _help_ ”, he grumbles before turning on the shower again. Haru snickers.

“Anytime.”


	83. MakoRei #17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: What if Rei really wants to ask Makoto out for the first time, but he can't do it either because of bad timing or he's just too awkward/adorkable?**
> 
> Asked by: [kittyst0ne](http://kittyst0ne.tumblr.com).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence! I've been in Turkey for a week without a laptop to write on. I'm back now, though, but things will slow down once I return to uni on the 28th.

**YOU** :  _Hello, Makoto-senpai! I was wondering if you would want to go to the obon festival with me tomorrow evening. If you are busy, I understand—_

He taps the back button until the entire message is deleted. Again. Rei’s lost count on just how long he’s been doing this, how many different variations of the same question he’s been trying to send to his upperclassman. All he knows is that it’s slowly driving him insane. He groans and puts his phone down on the table again.

Makoto probably already  _has_  plans, and why wouldn’t he? Either he’ll go with his siblings and family, or he’ll go with other friends. There’s really no way he’d still be available. Right?

Rei bites on his lower lip in hesitation before he picks his phone back up again. A few signals go through after he’s dialled a number and pressed his phone against his ear, but it doesn’t take long for his friend to pick up.

“ _Rei?_ ”

“Hello, Haruka-senpai. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“ _It’s fine. Stop calling me that. Did you want something?_ ”

He takes a deep breath. “Do you know if Makoto-senpai is busy tomorrow evening?”

Haru hums. “ _It’s obon, right? I don’t think so._ ”

“Really?”

“ _Yeah_.”

“Okay. That’s… that’s good.”

He loses what little confidence he’s had up until now, and fidgets with the charm dangling from his phone. Maybe it’s a bad idea, after all. What if Makoto thinks it’s too much, too big of a step for them to take, being just friends? Seeing as it’d just be the two of them, there’s no way he’d interpret it as two friends going down to the festival together.

“ _You don’t have anything to worry about, Rei_ ”, Haru says, as always reading his mind, and Rei frowns to himself, glad Haru isn’t able to see him right now.

“Easy for you to say”, he grumbles, and Haruka just laughs a little.

“ _It’s true. Just ask, it’ll be fine._ “

He pouts. “I’m holding you responsible if things don’t go  as you’re promising.”

“ _By all means. Good luck._ ”

The two hang up, and Rei leans forward onto the table with another sigh. Okay, so maybe calling Haruka was a bad idea, because now he’s aware of what Rei wants to do, and he’ll probably call back soon to ask if he’s called Makoto yet. And everyone around them knows that Rei is a terrible,  _terrible_  liar, stuttering at even the smallest attempt at a lie.

Rei glares at the device on the table in front of him like it’s just burnt him or yelled obscenities at him. It might as well have done so, because he almost feels offended at its presence right there in front of him. The urge to pick his phone up and chuck it across his living room is strong, but manageable, and he resists it. Instead, he picks it up, calmly — no, okay, who’s he kidding, he’s  _shaking —_ and goes through his contacts to find Makoto’s number.

For every signal he hears after finally pressing the ‘call’ button, Rei’s heart beats faster and faster, loudly pounding in his ears. He closes his eyes, and then he hears Makoto’s voice.

“ _Hello?_ ”

Rei unconsciously grips the end of the table with what almost resembles a death grip. “Makoto-senpai, hello”, he barely stutters. “Are you busy?”

“ _No, not at all. Something up?”_

He swallows hard. “I was— I was wondering if you... have any plans for tomorrow evening?”

“ _I don’t, no. Why?_ ”

“Then... maybe you would want to go down to the obon festival with me? Only if you want to! You don’t have to, if that’s—”

“ _I would love to go_ ”, Makoto laughs, interrupting Rei’s nervous rambling. “ _I’m looking forward to it_.”

“Ah”, Rei says, surprised at the sudden development. “Yes... me too! Of course” So, er, I— I’ll  come and pick you up? How about eight, does that work?”

“ _It’s perfect; I can’t wait_.”

“Oh. Oh! Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow”, Rei blurts out, euphoria bubbling up within him like a fizzy drink.

“ _It’s a date._ ”

Rei has to resist the urge to squeal into the phone, but instead just vibrates with excitement as he ends the call. Okay, so maybe Haruka was right.

 

* * *

 

**YOU** :  _I have a date. For obon_.  _Don’t say it._

 

Rei hides his face in the space between his crossed arms on the table, feeling his face heating up with embarrassment and excitement. He barely has time to put his phone down before a reply arrives to the message he sent. When he reads it, he frowns, but the corners of his lips are twitching, a smile threatening to break out.

 **HARUKA-SENPAI** :  _Oh, I’m going to say it. Told you so. Congrats, Rei_.

 

And when Rei goes to bed the next night after his first, very successful, date with Makoto — he’s still smiling after an evening that now almost feels like it was a dream.

When he pulls the duvet over himself, Rei lets out an almost dreamy sigh. He doesn’t want to admit it to anyone but himself, but he once again finds himself being eternally grateful to Haruka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked the idea of Haru and Rei being really good friends, Haru supporting Rei and helping him a bit to get closer to Makoto. I need more Rei/Haru friendship stuff, lol.


	84. MakoRei #18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRei + sweet, gentle lovemaking.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

It shouldn’t surprise Rei just how loving, tender and caring Makoto is in all that he does. From the way he’s always asking for consent, to the way he touches Rei like he’s a piece of thin glass, like he doesn’t want to break Rei. And there’s no way that he could, which Rei has let Makoto know on countless of occasions. That still doesn’t stop Makoto from being the gentle person Rei so quickly and deeply fell in love with.

Makoto’s lips coast along Rei’s throat, trailing soft kisses as he goes. He continues down to Rei’s collarbones, bending his knees and going further down. Rei’s fingers twist in his boyfriend’s hair, and he closes his eyes, not doubting for a second that he’ll be taken care of tonight.

The kissing doesn’t last too long, and before he knows it, Rei is pulled by the hand towards their bedroom. No words have been uttered since Makoto silenced Rei’s rambling with his lips, but they don’t need words to communicate what they want and need. Body language, gestures and looks are more than enough to convey whatever they want to say, especially in these situations.

As if there hadn’t just been a brief pause, Makoto gets right back to where he was before they switched rooms. When he pries the shirt off of Rei, the other returns the favour, and they’re soon pretty much naked. In the beginning of their relationship, Rei had been mortified every time Makoto had to see him like this, with nothing to hide. And no matter how much he’d wanted to put something on, Makoto repeatedly told him he looked fine, that he looked perfect in Makoto’s eyes.

 _Beautiful_.

It was a word Rei rarely associated himself with, so when Makoto first called him beautiful, it pretty much turned his perception of himself and even Makoto upside down. Nowadays, he’s able to accept Makoto’s compliments and feel like he’s not conceited in doing so.

Makoto gently pushes him down onto the bed, and Rei nearly sinks down into the duvet as Makoto gets up on top of him to continue their kissing. He doesn’t let Makoto stretching over to the nightstand disrupt what they’re doing, but he still shudders slightly as Makoto’s lubed index finger enters him. It doesn’t hurt, though, but it isn’t as if he expected it to. After all this time together, he’s bound to have gotten used to it, and with Makoto’s careful nature, pain isn’t anything he feels much of when they make love.

When Rei’s heavy breathing turns into needy moans, Makoto sits up on his knees and gets a condom out. Rei silently thanks the gods above and sighs through his nose. Makoto leans down over him and presses a kiss to his lips, and shortly after, Rei feels Makoto’s cock enter him, and he lets out a pathetic, high-pitched whine.

“Are you okay?” Makoto murmurs, and Rei nods.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

When Makoto’s all the way inside, he thrusts, gently, slowly, and Rei puts his arms around his boyfriend’s neck, bringing him even closer. He feels himself getting stretched out, but it still doesn’t hurt too much. Makoto’s taken great care in preparing him beforehand to make sure he doesn’t get hurt, and he’s able to focus on other things thanks to it.

He notices the way Makoto’s muscles flex a little when he bends down, when he thrusts. The small beads of sweat forming on Makoto’s forehead, that little crease between his eyebrows and the way his impossibly green eyes turn slightly glossy. Rei’s pretty sure he’s said it a million times himself, but Makoto truly  _is_  beautiful.

He often wonders how someone like him ended up with an ethereal being like Makoto, but knows it’s no use in wondering since he’ll never have an answer to that question. And maybe he’s fine with that, because some questions might not  _need_  answers.

When Rei comes, Makoto isn’t far behind. He finishes with a groan of what sounds like relief, and then lies down beside Rei on the bed, not even caring about discarding the condom yet. Rei takes Makoto’s hand over the duvet — he’s really glad they hadn’t gone underneath it as he’s sure they’d be drenched in sweat by now if they had — and he looks up at the ceiling.

“I know I say this a lot, but I really do love you”, he whispers. “And I’m glad you’re with me.”

Makoto turns to the side, the duvet rustling a bit as he does. Rei glances to the side and sees his boyfriend smile in the corner of his eye, and he feels like he’s going to burst into flames right then and there.

“I love you, too, Rei.”

He huffs, the embarrassment finally getting the better of him, and frowns. “G-good. Now go take care of that thing so we can shower and go to bed.”

Makoto laughs. “Okay, okay. Compromise — we shower together.”

Rei kicks Makoto lightly in the shin, but he agrees. And when Makoto gets up from the bed, Rei smiles to himself.


	85. SouHaru #38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke and Haru return from a weekend at the beach and Haru catches Sousuke gazing at his tanlines.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com).

“Please open the door quick — I really want to get out of these shorts. They itch.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes. “Why’d you have to wear them if they’re itchy?”

“How would I know that before I put them on? Just open the door. I also have to pee. Badly.”

He does turn the key in the lock to open the door, barely having time to step aside before Haru crashes into his side and runs past him inside the apartment. With a sigh, Sousuke walks in after his boyfriend and closes the door. He’s sweaty, sticky, and really wants to take a cold shower.

Sousuke just hopes Haru won’t hog the bathroom to himself now just because he needed to pee and get out of his itchy shorts. Sousuke generally takes less time than Haru in the shower for reasons that he finds obvious. Nagisa has joked to him several times before that he should probably be worried about the ‘possibility’ of him getting replaced by water as Haruka’s boyfriend.

Haru comes out after about a minute, though, and he’s carrying his itchy shorts in one hand. Sousuke not so discreetly glances down, and that’s when he notices Haru’s tan lines from having worn his swim trunks whilst sunbathing. And for some goddamn reason, Sousuke’s perverted mind sends signals straight south, and he coughs awkwardly to try and stop the spread of his aggressive blush.

“What?” Haru asks, and Sousuke averts his gaze.

“Nothing. You finished in there, or what? I need to shower.”

“I suppose so.” There’s a suspicious undertone to Haru’s voice that Sousuke chooses to ignore unless Haru wants to say something else, but he doesn’t, thankfully. So Sousuke slips past his boyfriend into the bathroom and quickly closes the door behind him, shutting Haru out, shutting those beautiful, delicious-looking tan-lines out.

He stands with his back against the door and groans, running a hand over his face. He’s thought it before and the thought enters his mind again; Nanase Haruka is going to be the fucking death of him one day, and he fears that day is rapidly coming closer, and that he’s unable to slow down the tempo.

 

* * *

 

A knock on the door makes Sousuke nearly jump out of his skin and yelp, and then he swears, feeling his heart thump hard in his throat. He swallows, sighs, closes his eyes. He’s dated Haru for  _months_  now, why would he get so hot and bothered by fucking  _tan-lines_? This is ridiculous.  _Sousuke’s_  ridiculous.

“Sousuke, are you okay?” comes Haru’s voice on the other side of the door. Sousuke doesn’t move away from there, keeps his back against it, and just lets himself breathe in and out a few times before responding.

“Yeah”, he lies. “Yeah, I’m fine. Must be the beginnings of a heat stroke or something. It’s nothing big.”

“A heat stroke isn’t ‘nothing big’, Sousuke”, Haru scolds. “Come out and lie down on the couch for a while instead. Shower can wait.”

“No, I’ll be okay”, he lies, trying to stall having to get out there because of his weird goddamn thing with getting horny by seeing Haru’s tan-lines.

“I’m forcing the door open if you don’t come out here on your own.”

“Don’t”, Sousuke says, remembering the letter knife they’ve got in that mug on the hallway table, which is perfect for twisting and turning the lock on their bathroom door. Something Haru’s done once or twice before when he’s been in desperate need of a pee.

But it doesn’t take long before he hears the scratching noises on the outside, and as he turns his gaze downward and siightly behind him, he sees the lock turn like he’s in some stupid horror film, and then Haru’s opening the door, making Sousuke nearly fall backwards. He turns around and steadies himself, quickly glancing at Haruka before looking away again. Such a child.

“Come here”, Haru says sternly. He pulls Sousuke’s head down with a hand behind his neck, and then puts their foreheads together. Sousuke swallows hard again, and he finds it difficult to breathe. The erection growing within the fabric of his underwear is starting to get to the point where he can’t hide it by a simple tug at the front of his shorts, and Haru’s attentive enough to probably notice it very soon..

“So?” Sousuke mutters, and Haru hums, appearing in thought.

“No fever, I think.”

“We  _did_ just come back from having been outside. Where it’s really hot.”

Haru looks up at him, and he looks genuinely puzzled. “Yes, but your eyes are glossy, too, and your pupils slightly dilated. That doesn’t come from just being out in the sun—”

“Oh, shut  _up_. You’re beginning to sound like Ryuugazaki, and that’s very bad.”

Haru grins a little. “You don’t like Rei?”

“I do, but I don’t want you to be like him.”

“Alright then.” He regards Sousuke with amusement written all over his face, and then speaks up again. “I saw you staring, Sousuke. No need to be shy about it. Are you jealous of my tan?”

“Fuck you, Nanase”, Sousuke growls. “I didn’t stare.”

“Did too.”

“I’m naturally more dark-skinned than you, anyway”, Sousuke fires back, as if that’s going to help his case. Haru just rolls his eyes, still smiling.

“Whatever you say. You were still staring.”

Sousuke pushes Haru up against the wall next to the bathroom entrance, and silences his boyfriend’s words with his lips. He wastes no time in deepening the kiss, and soon, Haru’s breathing heavily through his nose, his breath fanning against Sousuke’s skin, and he raises a mental fist up in the air in victory. Good, he managed to distract his boyfriend, but for how long, he doesn’t know.

His hands find their way to Haru’s underwear, and he lets his fingers run along the delicate skin by Haru’s hipbones, making the other shudder and flutter his eyes shut. Sousuke takes the opportunity to get down on his knees and pull Haru’s underwear down, exposing even more of that tan-line he’s apparently growing a fetish for. And before Haru’s got the time to react or protest, Sousuke takes the already hard length of his boyfriend into his mouth.

Haru sucks in a sharp breath of surprise, but the moans that follow tell Sousuke that he’s at least doing  _something_  right, so he continues, using his tongue to lick along Haru’s cock as he takes it in and out, looking up at his boyfriend in doing so. The sight of Haru looking so dishevelled and horny is a sight he doesn’t know if he’ll  _ever_  get used to, but he doesn’t mind it since he absolutely loves it.

Haru’s moans turn breathy, almost sounding like wheezes, and the way his fingers twist and tangle in Sousuke’s hair lets him know Haru’s getting close. He takes Haru’s cock out of his mouth, licks the slit and down to the base to tease Haru a little before letting him come. As expected, Haru doesn’t like him teasing, and lets out an impatient whine through his nose, his grip on Sousuke’s hair tightening even more, to the point where it stings.

“Get... back to work”, Haru hisses through clenched teeth. “I’m close.”

“Well, good”, Sousuke chuckles, and then does as he’s told. Hau throws his head back against the wall and moans again. Sousuke bobs his head up and down faster than before, Haru’s cock sometimes hitting the back of his throat and nearly triggering his gag reflex. He copes with it, and keeps going, swallowing the bitter fluid gathering in his mouth. When Haru comes, Sousuke stays there for all the little spurts, and takes Haru’s cock out of his mouth with a lewd  _pop_ -sound, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he swallows his boyfriend’s come.

He gets up again with a little groan, and Haru glares at him. Another thing he’d expected from having done something  _unexpected_.

“All that for stupid tan-lines”, Haru mutters, and now Sousuke returns the glare.

“I didn’t stare, Haruka.”

“You  _did_  stare. Now stand still and keep your mouth shut.”

“What?”

“I’m returning the favour”, Haru says simply and gets down on his knees. Sousuke, of course, doesn’t have time to protest before his protesting words die in his throat and are replaced by moans.

As long as Rin doesn’t find out about his sudden fetish for Haru’s tan-lines, he’ll be safe. The thing is, he doesn’t  _think_  he’ll be safe, since there’s no way Haru’s just going to let this one slide.

Oh, he’s got it bad.  _Very_  bad.


	86. SouHaru #39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke finds Haru's "toys" under the bed and immediately confronts him like "am I not good enough for you?", but it turns out Haru just gets lonely during the evenings when Sousuke is still at work, and Haru is at home all sexually frustrated because Sousuke is normally far too tired to do anything when he gets home.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Sousuke rummages through his drawers, his annoyance growing by the minute he has to look for a shirt to wear. All he wants is a shirt, and not one of those horrid tank tops — thanks, Rin — he seems to have an abundance of. And with it being late summer, sweaters and long-sleeved shirts are definitely out of the question.

He slams the last drawer shut after having gone through it three times, and sighs exasperatedly. “Haruka! Have you seen any of my shirts, or have they just mysteriously disappeared?”

Haru soon enough joins him in the bedroom, and he looks at Sousuke with a deadpan look, accompanied by slightly raised eyebrows. “What are you yelling about?”

“My shirts! Don’t tell me they’re all in the laundry basket and you haven’t done laundry yet.”

“ _I_  haven’t done laundry? Why is it my duty? You live here, too. Don’t forget this is my house to begin with.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes. “Alright, I get it, sorry. But have you seen at least  _one_  of my shirts?”

Haru hums, and then shrugs. “I don’t think so. They may be in the dirty laundry basket, yes, but just go and do laundry, then.”

“But that’s gonna take at least an  _hour_ , and then I have to tumble dry them and iron them”, he groans. Haru just clicks his tongue at his whiny boyfriend and rolls his eyes, before he leaves the bedroom without another word. Sousuke contemplates sticking his tongue out at his boyfriend behind his back to complete his childishness, but refrains.

He sits down on the bed again and looks around the room, as if he’s going to find a shirt lying around just by doing so. It takes him less than ten seconds to be up on his feet again, and then he’s decided to go through Haru’s drawers instead. He isn’t one to snoop through people’s personal things, but these are just drawers full of clothes, so he figures it’ll be fine.

It’ll be fine, he thinks, until Sousuke’s fingers wrap around something hard, a cylinder-like object with a round end, buried under a bunch of shirts and socks — shirts not being in Sousuke’s size, which destroys his theory that Haru has some of his clothes stashed away — and when he lets his finger wander around this object a little more, he finds a button, presses it, and...

“Holy  _fuck_ ”, he exclaims and pulls his hand out like he’s been burnt. In his hand is still the object he’d found in Haru’s drawer, and what he stares in horror at is a vibrator. A light blue — of course it is — medium-sized vibrator. And it makes Sousuke’s heart sink, before anger takes over, and he feels hurt, almost insulted. Putting the vibrator down on top of the chest of drawers in plain sight, Sousuke takes a deep breath and crosses his arms.

“Haruka, can you come back in here for a sec?” he calls out, waits for an answer, doesn’t get one. He wonders if Haru may have gone out, maybe Haru realises Sousuke would scramble through his drawers and find this thing?

“What’s wrong  _now_?” Haruka finally says, coming back into the bedroom. When he comes up to Sousuke and stands next to him, Sousuke sees Haru’s eyes fall on the object on top of the chest of drawers, and Haru’s eyes widen. “Why were you looking through my stuff?”

“Because I thought you might have my clothes. Care to explain what the fuck this is?”

“You know what it is.”

Sousuke turns to glare at Haruka. “Am I not good enough for you, is that what this is? Is that why you have to use a fucking  _vibrator_ , because I can’t satisfy you?”

“Do you want to know why I have it?” Haru responds, voice low, almost a whisper. Sousuke holds back a snort, raising an eyebrow.

“Enlighten me,  _please_.”

Haru takes a deep, slightly shaky breath. “I get bored when you’re not home. I get... sexually frustrated. Because you always work late, and whenever you’re  _actually_  home, you’re too tired to do anything. Happy now? Are you happy to know I’m obsessed with sex and that I get aroused just  _thinking_  about you when you’re not here?”

Sousuke opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again, like a fish coming up to the surface for air. He lets his arms fall to his sides, and he looks at Haruka in stunned silence. He feels bad, he’s shocked, and he’s also strangely turned on by the idea of Haru using a vibrator as a replacement for Sousuke. This isn’t because Sousuke was never enough — it’s because Sousuke’s job keeps him away from home more than what’s probably considered normal, and because Haruka needs to let out his sexual frustration.

To think he’d been hurt and offended by the idea of Haru using a vibrator as a replacement for him up until just a minute ago.

He sighs and puts his index finger under Haru’s chin, putting his forehead against his boyfriend’s. “I’m sorry, Haruka”, he says. “I didn’t think about it that way. I was just... scared that you didn’t think I was enough. I’m sorry that I’m not home more often, and that I’m tired when I come home to the point where I’m too exhausted to have sex. I want that to change. Not just for you, but for us. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll try my best to be with you more.”

Haruka pouts and averts his gaze. “I can’t believe you’d think I don’t think you’re enough. You’re more than enough, it’s just that I don’t... get to enjoy you enough.”

This time, Sousuke can’t help but smile, and he leans closer to kiss his boyfriend. “Maybe I can start to remedy that now. If you want to?”

Haru looks at him, still pouting. “How?”

Sousuke reaches past Haruka onto the chest of drawers, and picks up the vibrator. “How about this?”

The blush on Haru’s face is more than enough of an answer.

 

* * *

 

"Oh my  _god_ ”, Haruka moans, voice muffled by the pillow he’s stuffed his face into. Sousuke takes his tongue out of his boyfriend’s ass, and smirks despite Haruka not being able to see it.

“Feels good?”

“Yes. Keep going.”

Sousuke hums in acknowledgement before getting back to business. He adds a finger when he’s managed to get Haru a little warmed up, and soon enough, he feels confident that he can try out Haru’s vibrator. He’s never even held one of these before, and wonders how the hell his boyfriend had the cojones to buy it in the first place. Maybe he ordered it online? Sousuke can’t recall them having received a package to the house recently... maybe Haru’s had it for way longer than that?

When he takes his tongue and fingers out, Haru lets out a sound of disappointment, but that’s probably because he doesn’t know what comes next. How could he  _not_ , though? Wasn’t this all initiated because Sousuke wanted to test this thing out on his boyfriend?

As expected, Haru yelps in surprise, but soon gets back to his previous moaning as Sousuke circulates the vibrator along Haru’s puckered entrance, set to low still. It’s a little strange to have something there in place of his fingers, dick or tongue that he can’t physically  _feel_ , but it’s also a little exciting. Especially considering the reactions Haru has to this thing. Sousuke finds almost too much enjoyment in this, and wonders why he’d ever be offended by this thing in the first place.

“Sousuke, just put it  _in_  already”, Haru complains, and Sousuke laughs.

“What, the vibrator or my cock?”

“Whatever, just  _something_ , I don’t care. Stop teasing me.”

“Oh, honey, I think you  _knew_  I was going to tease you when I suggested this. You agreed to it, so you’ll have to put up with it.”

Haruka whines again as Sousuke continues to circle the vibrator around his asshole, still refusing to put it in. He leans forward to use his tongue as well, alternating between pushing his tongue in and just teasing Haru with the vibrator. Sousuke absolutely loves listening to Haru’s impatient whimpers, loves seeing Haru come undone for him like a present. Well, his birthday  _is_  coming up, after all, so maybe this could be considered a pre-gift.

Deciding he’s teased Haru enough for now, Sousuke pulls back to finally give Haru what he wants and slowly push the vibrator inside whilst also turning up the vibration intensity to the next setting.

“ _Finally_ ”, Haru breathes, fisting at the sheets below. His back is perfectly arched, accentuating how absolutely  _amazing_  his ass looks from Sousuke’s view. He feels his cock twitch within the fabric of his boxers, and resists the urge to start jerking himself off.  _Soon_ , he tells himself, biting back a frustrated groan. If anyone’s a fucking tease here, it’s Haru.

With only one more setting to go until the blue vibrator’s at full intensity, Sousuke notices Haru’s started squirming about, his moans having turned into groans and impatient whimpers. He’s close, and it’s very obvious. So, of course, Sousuke decides to be the dick he so often is, not only to Haru but also pretty much everyone around him, and he pulls the vibrator out of Haru’s ass to go back to just circulating around the entrance again.

“What are you  _doing_?” Haru hisses.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Sousuke replies, feigning innocence and knowing he’s doing a terrible job at it. Haru attempts to kick him, but Sousuke’s faster, and holds Haru’s leg down.

“ _God_  I hate you sometimes”, Haru moans, and Sousuke laughs.

“Love you, too. You know you can just ask for it if you want it.”

“What are you— oh no. You’re  _not_  doing this.”

“Oh, but I am. Come on, Haruka, I know you want to”, Sousuke purrs, and Haru groans in frustration, hiding his face in the pillow again. Meanwhile, Sousuke continues his motions with the vibrator and finally turns it up to max. Haru lets out a loud moan in response, which just makes Sousuke feel all that much better about himself and his abilities to make his boyfriend loosen up and unravel for him.

“... come.”

“Hmm? I couldn’t hear you”, Sousuke replies, and Haru squirms again.

“Let— let me come.”

“Ah- _ah_ , not quite. You missed something.”

Haru lifts his head to glare daggers back at his boyfriend, but then turns back, thankfully not stuffing his face into the pillow again. “Please.”

“All of it.”

“Again, I hate you.” He takes a deep breath, and continues, hesitantly. “Please let me come.”

“See, that wasn’t so difficult”, Sousuke murmurs as he puts the vibrator back in. Haru throws his head back and screams, and not too long after, he comes onto the duvet below him. Sousuke lets him ride out his orgasm as he ruts lewdly back against Sousuke’s hand and the vibrator, and then he pulls the vibrator out to turn it off.

Haru lies down on his back, and gives Sousuke a murderous, but slightly tired, look. “I should’ve hid that thing better. I still hate you.”

“I know you don’t”, Sousuke says and starts to get up from the bed. “Let me know when you’re ready for the  _real_  deal—”

“Now”, Haru says, suddenly sitting up and grabbing a hold of Sousuke’s wrist. Sousuke looks at his boyfriend with a smirk and a mischievous glint in his eyes, before crawling onto the bed again.

“Good.”


	87. SouHaru #40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A really angsty cheating fic.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I had my followers on Tumblr vote between Sousuke and Haruka, without letting them know what it was for. This time, neither of them got hurt (well, physically, at least), but... one of them had to get his heart broken. And that turned out to be Haru. I love you, Haru, I'm sorry.

He’s not usually one to talk all that much, but this time, it’s especially bad. Well, whether it’s bad or not depends on whom you’re asking, really. If you’re asking the person who’s just found out he’s been cheated on, or if you’re asking the person who did the despicable act of cheating on his boyfriend. And right now, Haru wonders if Sousuke’s really going to be all that  _willing_  to talk. Not that he’d want to listen, anyway, but he knows he probably has to.

Haruka swallows hard, taking a deep, shuddery breath. Haru doesn’t cry, he can’t remember the last time he cried, and this won’t be the first time he can recall  where he’ll cry. No, he’s not going to give Sousuke that satisfaction. So he closes his eyes and wills away the tears threatening to spill out, and clenches his fists, hard enough to cause small, crescent-shaped indents on his palms.

“Why?” he finds himself asking, even though he doesn’t want to know.

Sousuke stands in front of him, and he looks like he’s lost everything; his friends, family, his home. Well, he may have just lost a place to live, and if he ever considered this place his home, he’s probably lost that, too.

“Haruka, I… I love you—”

“Don’t change the subject”, Haru interrupts sharply. “I asked you a question.”

Silence. Haru feels his patience run out like sand in an hour glass, except his patience will most definitely run out much sooner than that. He’s tired, and all he wants is to get this over with before he can kick Sousuke out of his house and try to move on with his life, to puzzle things back together to the way they were before Sousuke decided to come into his life like a hurricane. Without warning, and leaving Haru an absolute mess. For the most part, he’s thought of it as a good thing, but now, his opinion has drastically changed.

“Because I— have you… noticed the way things have  _been_  between us lately? I know we’re not normally ones to talk all that much, but this has reached a new level of non-communication. We don’t talk, and I feel like I barely know you anymore.”

“So you decided to go have sex with your best friend to try and solve things. Congratulations. Did it work? Do you feel better? Like we can talk now because of it?”

Sousuke opens his mouth and closes it again, sighing and looking dejected, which Haru morbidly enough enjoys. He wants Sousuke to feel the same kind of pain he’s feeling, and judging by the look on Sousuke’s face, Haru reckons he’s at least pretty close to it. Close enough.

“I don’t”, Sousuke says, almost mumbles. “I’m really sorry, Haruka. I didn’t know what to do, but I regret what I ended up doing. I didn’t… want it to end up like this.”

“ _End_  like this, you mean.”

Sousuke looks at Haru with absolute horror written all over his face, as if he  _hadn’t_  expected that to happen following his infidelity. Rin tends to make fun of Sousuke for being slow at times, but Haru never would’ve expected him to be  _that_  obtuse. Anyone would’ve been able to guess it. Maybe Sousuke’s just in denial, blocking those thoughts out of his mind to try and live with his head above the clouds for a little bit longer.

“Don’t say that”, Sousuke says. “We can fix this.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve already given up, though”, Haru retorts. “Since we’re still bad at communicating, and all that. And since it was so easy for you to cheat on me.”

Haru wants to do nothing but go to bed, to forget everything about this day and every day that preceded it back to the point where he started dating Sousuke in the first place. He wants to go back to the time where they were still on last name basis and when Sousuke still hated him with a burning passion. At least that would’ve been easier to deal with, because then Sousuke would’ve  _avoided_  him instead of the opposite.

“Don’t say it like I did this as easily as putting on my trousers in the morning; you don’t think I feel guilty? Like I’ve just committed a fucking sin and deserve to burn in hell? Because I do. I hate that I’ve done this to you, and I would do  _anything_  to take it back if I could. All I want is for you to give me a second chance. I don’t care how long it takes, but—”

“Would you?” Haru asks. “Would you give  _me_  a second chance if I cheated on you, if our roles were reversed?”

This time, Sousuke looks like he doesn’t have an answer to Haru’s question. And of course he doesn’t, because there’s no way he could say he  _wouldn’t_  do what Haru’s doing. For the most part, Sousuke’s a man of morals, and a man who doesn’t act on a whim. So maybe this wasn’t spontaneous, maybe it was something he truly wanted, or had planned for a while. Either way, Haru can’t even dream of forgiving Sousuke, no matter what Sousuke says or does.

“Aren’t… aren’t  _you_  the one who’s given up if you’re putting it that way?” Sousuke says instead of answering the question, and Haruka snorts in disbelief.

“Oh, so this is  _my_  fault”, he drawls sarcastically. “It’s  _my_  fault that the communication between us is lacking, that you cheated on me. It’s all my fault. Why don’t you just blame both world wars on me, too, while you’re at it?”

“Don’t exaggerate, that’s a little—”

“How can I not?!” Haruka finally bristles. “How can I  _not_  exaggerate and make a chicken out of a feather when I feel like my whole world’s just crumbled to pieces because of you? Forget it, you’re never going to understand. Rin was right — you really  _are_  slow. Painfully so.”

“Haruka—”

“Stop calling me that”, Haru bites back through clenched teeth. “Pack your things and leave my house. And don’t ever come back.”

“Don’t do this.”

“ _Get out!_ ” Haruka yells, and Sousuke recoils at the raised volume of his voice. Even Haru’s surprised at himself; he hasn’t yelled to anyone since that one time in high school when he and Makoto had their first fight. And that may have been the only other time in his life he’s actually yelled at someone. He’s yelled at the two most important people in his life, one of whom is about to walk out of his life because he told him to.

So Sousuke walks upstairs into the bedroom they used to call ‘theirs’, and Haru walks out into the hallway leading to the back of the house. He walks into the bathroom, locks the door, and climbs into the bath tub, clothes still on. Haru hugs his knees to his chest, tightly, and takes deep breaths; breathing in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, closing his eyes.

He shuts the outside world out for however long it takes Sousuke to pack his things, because he knows Sousuke’s going to come knocking on the bathroom door before he leaves. He’s going to say something that’ll shatter Haru’s heart into even finer pieces, making the already existent pain in his chest nearly explode. Funny how he’s able to read Sousuke in nearly every situation, but this was something he never expected his now ex-boyfriend to do.

A tear somehow escapes, rolling down his cheek, and Haru immediately brings a hand up to wipe it away, denying it’d ever appeared in the first place. He doesn’t cry, and if he ever  _would_  cry, it wouldn’t be because of some stupid guy he’s been dating for god knows how long. To be fair, that might just be the  _only_  thing to make him cry, but Haru doesn’t want to admit it. Because that would mean Sousuke’s won, and he won’t admit defeat no matter what. He hasn’t been defeated, just  _deceived_ , but he doesn’t want to let that bring him down.

But of course, it still does.

“Haruka— Haru, I’m... I’m leaving.”

Sousuke’s voice finally filters through the crevice in the door. Haru presses his forehead against his kneecaps, and he exhales, shakily, doesn’t reply. Doesn’t want to dignify Sousuke with any more words, more of his attention, tears, pain, time, dignity — nothing he still owns and has to cling onto in order to keep his sanity as well.

He waits a few seconds, listens, and then finally, Sousuke’s footsteps are heard and soon fade away. It isn’t until he hears the door close that he lets himself completely crumble, lets those stubborn tears fall and lets it all out.

 

* * *

 

Haru doesn’t know for how long he cries. At some point, he ends up falling asleep in the bath tub in a foetal position, and is awakened by a slightly panicked Makoto, who helps him out and sits with him in his embrace until Haru falls asleep again, this time in a better place.

And when Haru wakes up, Makoto’s still there. And things have gone back to normal. Things are the way they should be.

Yet, it doesn’t feel right.


	88. SouHaru #41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Amusement park date where one of them is secretly deathly afraid of roller coasters.**
> 
> Asked by [swimmingwolf59](http://swimmingwolf59.tumblr.com) (AO3 [here](http://archiveofourown.org.users/swimmingwolf59))

This is a bad idea. This is a  _very_  bad idea. These are words that started repeating themselves in Sousuke’s head as soon as he and Haru entered the amusement park. It’s big, there are people everywhere, there are rowdy  _kids_  everywhere… if you looked up chaos in the dictionary, this is where the accompanied photo would’ve been taken. Most definitely.

Of course, as stubborn as Sousuke is, all he does is wear a frown on his face and keep his mouth in a straight line instead of voicing his fears out loud, as he lets Haru unashamedly lead him through masses of people, past food stalls and game booths, towards the rollercoasters. And  _that’s_  where Sousuke knows he’s fucked. Royally so.

There’s a rollercoaster called “ _Insane_ ”, and of course there is, because it  _looks_  absolutely insane, going faster than the speed of light, going up and down in steep valleys and having sharp turns. He wonders how often people die on these things, or at least get badly hurt. And he also wonders how the hell his boyfriend manages to keep that goddamn deadpan look on his face as they stand in line to get up in that monstrosity.

“You want to go on that one?” Haru asks, cocking his head in “ _Insane_ ”’s direction, and as the idiot he is, Sousuke nods stiffly despite every cell of his body yelling at him to say no.

“Sure”, he says, his voice surprisingly not betraying his nerves.

Sousuke swallows hard, clenching his fists and digging his nails into the skin on his palms. This is pure terror, and if he hadn’t been so adamant about keeping his manhood and dignity, he would’ve asked Haru if they couldn’t do something else instead. Something that doesn’t involve vertiginous heights and scary drops down what must be nearly a hundred metres. Hell, he’d even be okay with trying those shooting games to win teddy bears he’d end up throwing away, anyway — anything to get him out of here.

But Sousuke stays silent next to Haruka as they proceed in line, and before he knows it, they’re sitting down and pulling the safety bars down over their chests. Sousuke grips onto them and prays to the gods above to spare his life. He’s too young to die, he’s got so much left to live for — fuck, he’d expected to at least live to the day when he could legally marry the crazy man next to him, who  _still_  looks as calm as ever.

“ _Hands inside the car at all times. Phones and cameras are not allowed to be used during the ride, and it is forbidden to stand up until you have arrived here again, and the car has stopped._ ”

Sousuke listens to the instructions told by a robotic female voice, and rolls his eyes so far back into his head he’s almost seeing stars. Who in their right mind would  _not_  sit still during a terrifying ride such as this? Probably someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to take a not so easy and very painful way out, that’s who. Sousuke doesn’t want to die like this. He wants it to be when he’s too old to remember his own name and when he probably has both children and grandchildren.

The hell train begins moving along the tracks, and Sousuke wants to die. He also  _doesn’t_  want to die, at least not here, so he’s left with an internally screaming voice, and hands clutching the handlebars to the point where his knuckles slowly turn white. Actually, death would be a very welcome consequence to this thing, as he doesn’t want to live through the rest of it.

He tries his best to at least  _look_  calm when they go up the first steep hill. He hears the  _clunk-clunk-clunk_  sound as the train ascends, he closes his eyes, and grip the handlebars even tighter, if that was even possible to begin with. Honestly, if Haru  _knew_  what kind of distress, despair, panic and anxiety Sousuke’s feeling right now, he would probably pull on the emergency brakes and have them return back to the starting point, have them get out and yell at Sousuke for not telling him he didn’t want to get up there.

So that’s why Sousuke’s being the dumb fuck he is, not saying a word about his crippling fears. Because he wants this day to be a good one, he wants Haru to be happy and to enjoy himself. And as much as they had absolutely loved to mess with each other back in the day, to make sure that the other ‘got what he deserved’, things are very different now. Haru wouldn’t dream of doing something Sousuke doesn’t want to do, because Haru’s such a caring person, and you wouldn’t think so if you didn’t know him like Sousuke does.

They slow down and finally stop, but Sousuke knows there’s the downhill part he’s got left to suffer through, and that’ll most definitely be ten times worse than the uphill climb had been. They stand still for what feels like an eternity, and Sousuke’s still squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he can, trying to remove himself mentally from the whole experience.

He feels a hand land on his arm, and reluctantly opens one eye to see Haru looking at him in mild concern. “Sousuke, are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Sousuke lets out a sigh, thankfully not coming out as shaky as he had feared, which would betray his inner storm of emotions. “Yeah, I’m f—”

And then the train drops down.

“— _fuck!_ ” he yells. They must be going several hundred miles an hour down this steep hill, and he can’t keep his eyes shut anymore, so all he does is stare in horror in front of him as they go down in blinding speed, probably towards their death. Oh, sweet release— no. No, he’s not going to die here. No. He’s going to make it through this thing, he’s going to survive, and he’s going to be able to flip this fucking amusement park off as he walks out to never return.

He’s too scared to move his head, to try and look at his boyfriend to see what kind of face  _he’s_  making. Haru’s probably as calm as ever, not affected in the least bit, that lovable bastard.

When they’ve made it down the ascent and the train’s gone around a few sharp turns and up and down a few, not  _too_  terrible hill climbs, during which Sousuke kept repeating a string of cuss words and not giving two fucks about the children sitting behind them, the ride finally, finally ends. Sousuke finally gets a chance to look over at his boyfriend, and of course — Haru’s wearing his stupid deadpan look. As usual. Not even a thing like  _this_  would affect him.

Sousuke grumbles to himself as they exit the rollercoaster and make it back out into the amusement park. He slowly exhales the long breath he’s been holding for a while, and Haruka turns to him.

“Another ride?”

“Hell no!” Sousuke barks, and Haru smiles. He stands on his toes to give Sousuke a kiss on the cheek, and when he pulls away, he’s still smiling.

“Scaredy-cat.”

“I wasn’t  _scared_!” he retorts, despite having been scared absolutely shitless from the very second their train had started moving. He feels like he’s going to have vertigo the next morning just from getting out of bed, and wonders how the hell he’s going to make it into work like that.

The hand-squeeze he receives as they finally exit the park tells Sousuke they probably won’t do that again, or at least that Haruka won’t force him up into such a thing with him. And that’s all he can ask for. Never does he wish to ever again set foot inside an amusement park, and he thinks Haru probably won’t have him go through that kind of suffering again. Thankfully.


	89. SouHaru #42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke swimming in the pool when his arm starts acting up, and he nearly drowns before Haru comes in to save him. Afterwards, they have an angsty argument that ends with them crying onto each other's shoulders.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

He knows this is dumb, but Sousuke can’t help it; he really  _does_  miss being in the pool. And honestly, everyone around him is being far too fussy about what he can and can’t do. He can take care of himself, thank you very much.

(Haru usually begs to differ, and sometimes Sousuke doesn’t really think he can, either, but he doesn’t say that.)

So while Haru’s still asleep, Sousuke sneaks out of their bedroom and grabs his already packed duffel bag. Haru hadn’t even thought about it standing in the hallway the night before, but that’s probably because Sousuke uses this bag for when he goes to the gym, as well. A perfect way of disguising something he shouldn’t  _have_  to hide. But then again, he’s the one sneaking out of the house at seven in the morning on a Sunday to go swimming.

It’s a good thing the aquatic centre in Iwatobi opens so early even on weekends, especially today when Sousuke  _had_  to get out of the house early, before his boyfriend woke up. Before the  _bear_  woke up, rather. He knows that if Haruka found out where he’s headed so early on a Sunday, he would be absolutely furious and refuse to let Sousuke go. Even more so since the aquatic centre isn’t staffed on Sundays, as if Sousuke’s some kind of child who can’t go places on his own.

 _Yes_ , he gets lost sometimes, but that’s not the point. He’s a grown man, for god’s sake, he shouldn’t have to be escorted by people wherever he goes.

(Even though the fact that he  _is_  a grown man makes the entire thing even worse.)

He certainly  _feels_  like a kid, but more because it feels like he’s sneaking out of the house to spite his parents. Sousuke’s not doing it to  _spite_  anyone, he’s just going swimming because he seriously misses it, and because the exercise would be good. It’s been a while, he’s been doing his rehab like his doctor’s good fucking puppet — he deserves this.

Sousuke stands by the stepladder down into the pool and looks at the water, still calm, still untouched since yesterday, just waiting for him. Now he feels like he understands at least a little bit of what Haru feels whenever he’s immersed in water, and he’ll probably understand it even more once he gets in.

So instead of diving from one of the start blocks, he climbs down using the ladder and stands still for a bit, moves his arms about in the water. So far so good — though he doesn’t really know how such a small thing would be dangerous to begin with. Once again, his friends really  _are_  overreacting, and Haruka is, too.

A little tentatively, Sousuke tries swimming, using the breaststroke he hasn’t done in what must be several years. He’s always specialised in butterfly, but in recent years also went into freestyle, mostly because he wanted to race Haru and see how he’d done in the time the two hadn’t seen each other. Slowly but surely, Sousuke’s learnt to actually  _like_  freestyle, and though he doesn’t want to admit it, it’s probably mostly thanks to his boyfriend.

He swims one length and stops by the end of the pool to make sure he isn’t hurting anywhere. Still nothing, he’s very much capable of keeping at it, so he decides to continue by switching over to butterfly, his speciality, the one stroke that just  _makes sense_  to him, as much as he’s started to like freestyle and the front crawl. Nothing will ever really beat butterfly.

Lifting his arms above his head doesn’t hurt too bad, he feels the muscle in his right shoulder pull a little, but figures it’s just because he’s still a bit rusty and hasn’t done this in a while. So the next length he swims isn’t too bad, either, and Sousuke thinks he’s actually able to swim again. Properly, without the need to hesitate, think, eventually reconsider.

The water feels great, calming, like it’s welcoming him back into its open arms. He almost lets out a sigh in relief before remembering he’s in the water, and probably shouldn’t do so unless he wants to drown. This is what he’s been waiting for since the day he’d unwillingly decided to give up on swimming, and in turn give up on his dream of swimming alongside Rin in a professional environment.

Sousuke’s right shoulder muscle keeps pulling, and he keeps ignoring it because he’s gotten back into his element, refusing to let anything stop him from doing what he enjoys and what he’s been missing for so long. And as one should’ve expected, as  _Sousuke_  should’ve expected, his right arm gives out, and he’s unable to move. Frozen, as if he’s just been shocked by electricity and is going through post-shock spasms.

He tries to get himself up with just his left arm and by wildly kicking his legs, feeling his lungs starting to burn, but of course — it’s no use. The need for air is increasing rapidly as a, and he tries his hardest to hold out, just a little longer, to try and get himself out of the pool—

Before he knows it, the world around him goes dark, and he blacks out.

 

* * *

 

When Sousuke regains consciousness, the first thing he can think of is wanting to know where the hell he is. He’s lying on his back, his head on something pretty soft and cosy — a pillow? — he’s  _coughing wildly_  for some reason, and there’s a figure sitting above him. As his vision gets less blurry, he realises that it’s Haruka, and that his boyfriend is literally dripping wet, with droplets falling down onto Sousuke’s face. He blinks a few times, tries to breathe. It feels weird, and his lungs hurt.

“Where… uh, where am I?” he asks, finally able to speak. His voice is raspy, like he’s been screaming for hours on end.

“The pool. You idiot.”

The last two words are uttered by Haru in such a low voice that Sousuke probably wouldn’t have heard it had they not been this close. He frowns.

“I just… I wanted to swim.”

“You nearly  _drowned_!” Haruka suddenly bristles, and it makes Sousuke flinch with how unexpected this bout of rage is from his boyfriend. “You could have drowned, all because you wanted to swim despite your shoulder. Good thing I know you well enough to realise you’d do this as soon as I wasn’t looking.”

“I haven’t done anything in  _years_ , Haruka”, Sousuke retorts. He tries to get up, but Haru holds Sousuke’s head down on his lap, after which Sousuke just gives in and lies down. “And I wasn’t doing it to fuck with you. I just wanted to swim, not  _race_  someone, not win anything. Just swim.”

“But you know you can’t. You remember what the doctors told you. And I know you weren’t just taking it slow, taking a leisurely swim, that’s not who you are.”

Sousuke scoffs, offended, but he knows Haruka’s at least half right. He can’t just go on a leisurely swim for fun for the most part, and when it’s just him, that’s even less of a probability. He’s always been hard on himself, pushing himself past the limit to improve, and disregarding anything that could be potentially dangerous to his health in the process. Doing everything he can to get wherever he wants to be.

“It’s easy for you to say all this as someone who hasn’t been forced to quit swimming because you fucked up your shoulder”, Sousuke grumbles, and this time, it’s Haru’s turn to recoil.

“You don’t think giving up swimming was difficult for me?” he asks. “You don’t think I spent enough hours just sitting in the bath tub wondering if I’d made the right decision, if I shouldn’t just have gone with what Rin and Makoto wanted me to do? You don’t think I  _still_  feel bad about it and like I should’ve done something better with my life?”

“At least you still  _can_  swim!” Sousuke yells, and this time when he gets up, Haru doesn’t stop him. “You can still swim, physically, if you want to. I can’t. See what happened to me because I tried to swim.”

“If you knew the risks, why did you do it?” Haru whispers, and Sousuke feels like something within him just  _snaps_ , like someone cutting a stretched wire.

“Because I wanted to feel like I wasn’t completely fucking useless! Like I still had something going for me in life, like I wasn’t the complete failure I know people see me as now that I literally can’t swim anymore! And don’t you dare deny it, because I’ve seen the way people look at me, the pity they’re so bad at faking in their looks. I’m sick of it. I’m tired of having people treat me like I’m so fucking fragile, Haruka.”

His breath hitches, and he feels a thick lump form in his throat as tears burn behind his eyelids. Sousuke takes a shaky breath, hating himself for what he knows will happen. “I’m tired of being broken, and people looking at the pieces in horror but not really bothering to try and pick them up and glue me back together.”

And then he breaks, like the piece of fragile glass that he is. Big, ugly tears fall down his cheeks, and he’s full-out crying. What should bother him is that Haruka doesn’t even seem fazed by it, and just pulls Sousuke’s head toward his chest, and keeping it there without saying anything for a few minutes.

Sousuke  _never_  cries. Well, maybe not never, but it very rarely happens. The last time he remembers having cried was during summer in his first year of high school, for the exact same reason. His shoulder. His shoulder, which will be a problem haunting him probably for the rest of his life. He’ll never be able to swim, never do anything physically straining on his shoulders or arms in general — all he can do is accept his fate, and adjust accordingly.

“I’m sorry”, Haruka says, and it’s two words Sousuke  _definitely_  hadn’t expected to hear his boyfriend say in this situation. And it pisses him off.

“Stop fucking apologising for something you haven’t done or don’t have any control over. I did this. I went swimming despite not being allowed to.”

“I’m sorry for... for not being as supportive as I should be.”

And what’s when Sousuke notices that Haru’s crying too. The realisation feels like a sharp stab right into his heart, and like someone’s joyfully twisting said knife without remorse. He hasn’t only brought this upon himself, but causing collateral damage to someone who  _definitely_  doesn’t deserve it, or need more things to weigh heavy on him.

“Fuck”, Sousuke replies shakily. “You’re... you’re more than supportive, Haruka. Honestly, you get me like no one else does. Stop apologising, okay? I... I’m glad I have you. I’m just sorry I’ve been a shit and not listening to you when I should have.”

“Just don’t— don’t do it again”, Haru hiccups, and Sousuke nods.

“Yeah.”

“You can swim every now and then as long as you’re with me. And if you feel pain, you have to tell me.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t think you’ll be okay even if your shoulder hurts a little. As soon as you feel something, tell me.”

It takes Sousuke a few seconds of pondering and general reluctance to admit defeat, but eventually, he does. “Yeah, okay. I promise”, he says, accompanied by a sniffle, and Haruka brings his head up so their faces are just a few inches away from each other. Seeing the tear stains on Haruka’s cheeks makes Sousuke want to kick himself, but at least he’s smiling now.

“You’re stupid, but I love you.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes, but he can’t help but smile, too. Only Haruka would be able to make him smile even though he’s just been crying about his goddamn shoulder. Again. He doesn’t want to admit it, not yet, but he knows very well that he just has to accept things as they’ve become from having so desperately chased after something that wouldn’t last, anyway, after someone who would end up leaving him behind, even if it wouldn’t be on purpose.

“Thanks. Love you, too”, he says, choosing to ignore the first part of his boyfriend’s statement.

His life isn’t over just because he can’t swim — Haruka’s taught him that, being in a similar position. He has a long way to go, still, but at least if he has someone like Haru by his side, he might not deviate from the path as often as if he were to walk it alone.


	90. SouHaru #43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Angsty one-sided breakup.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

He asks himself over and over if there’s something he could’ve done better while he still had the chance. Maybe he should’ve put more effort into actually spending time with his apparently now ex boyfriend? Maybe he should’ve tried to listen more, tried to see signs of the other wanting to talk, to communicate,  _anything_.

How the fuck did Sousuke let his relationship go to hell like this and pretend like he didn’t see the end coming closer for each day he took Haruka for granted? Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised, though. Haruka is someone who doesn’t like to be bound down, either by people around him or responsibilities in life. It was probably only a matter of time. Of course, thinking of it that way still doesn’t make it easier for Sousuke to grasp. Part of him wants to continue fighting like the stubborn idiot he is, but another part of him tells him to just let Haruka go.

“ _If you love someone, let them go_.” He couldn’t hate that saying more than he does right now. Because he doesn’t want to let go.

“Can’t we just take a break… or something?” he tries. “I mean, if it’s freedom you want, I can give it to you.”

“Then let me go. I don’t want this.  _You_  don’t want this.”

Sousuke knows the meaning behind Haruka’s words, and it hurts. He’s probably known for a while, but he’s been so adamant on denying the truth that he’s just let things crumble without trying to do anything about it. And now here he is. Once again being left behind, abandoned.

But Sousuke knows better than to try and guilt-trip Haruka into staying with him. If he doesn’t want to be with Sousuke, then there’s nothing to do about it. Being in a relationship where the feelings aren’t mutual and the willpower to  _be_  in said relationship isn’t shared, would just be cruel on the one person who doesn’t share those feelings.

He can’t let the bird out of its cage and hope it’ll return, because they rarely ever do. And honestly, Sousuke wouldn’t want to keep it in there even if it did come back. As much as he loves Haruka, he knows that the best way to show that he does is to let him go.

Sousuke lets out a sigh through his nose, closes his eyes. Accepts what’s to come, accepts his oncoming loneliness. Maybe he’ll get over it, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll find something to fill his life instead of what used to be Haruka. What’s he going to do with all of the free time forcibly pushed onto him now? Haruka may be ‘set free’ as of this, but Sousuke most certainly won’t feel the same way once Haruka walks out that door to never come back.

He knows he probably won’t be able to live there anymore soon, either. There are too many memories here, in the apartment he’s shared with Haruka for over three years now. How’s he even going to act if he bumps into Haruka around town? Pretend like he doesn’t see him? Pretend like they’re just acquaintances, initiate small-talk?

Sousuke absolutely  _hates_  small-talk, and he’s sure he’ll find it excruciating having to do that with someone he used to share so much with, someone he’s experienced so many things with, grown with, he’s even changed into a better person because of Haruka. Something Rin had snorted at, because he didn’t think ‘someone like Haru’ could change Sousuke into less of an asshole.

He squeezes his eyes shut for a second, and swallows hard. Haruka looks up at him again, and he looks truly apologetic, which makes Sousuke’s heart ache again. He bites the inside of his cheek when Haruka opens his mouth.

“Sousuke... I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be”, Sousuke says. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault, either.”

Of course Haruka would know he’d think that it was, and assure him that it wasn’t his fault. They just grew apart, it wasn’t anything either of them had done. Sousuke just wishes he’d done  _something_ , so he could’ve at least been able to say that he’s tried. He hasn’t tried, he’s just looked through his fingers at a train about to derail and crash. And now that it  _has_  crashed and it’s too late, there isn’t anything to do about it.

Sousuke would have never in his entire life have expected defeat and surrender to taste so bitter.

 

* * *

 

Haruka packs most of his belongings in his suitcase and duffel bag while Sousuke sits in the living room, unable to watch it happen. Unable to see as item after item disappears from the apartment, making it look bare, like it’s no longer inhabited by two people. And of course it would, because it isn’t. It’s gone from a home to a bachelor pad. A place where a single guy lives. Well, probably,  _hopefully_ , not for long.

Without saying a word, Sousuke follows Haru out into the hallway and silently watches him put his shoes on, sling the duffel bag over his shoulder and pick up his suitcase. The apartment feels almost hollow now, like anything you’d say would bounce off of the walls. Reminding him of how big of a hole Haruka will leave in his life, in his heart, when he walks out that door.

Haruka chews on his bottom lip in hesitation with his hand on the door handle. “I... I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah”, Sousuke finds himself answering. There’s a lump in his throat he desperately fights back; he can’t cry. He’s not going to do that to Haruka. He has to be strong, pretend like he’ll be okay even if he feels like his life has just ended.

The fact that Haruka still seems reluctant on leaving makes Sousuke naïvely think there might be hope for them, still. Maybe not now, but in a hopefully not too distant future. And with him being so attached to people he loves and cares for, he’ll probably sit and wait, just like Hachiko did. Like an obedient dog waiting for its owner to return, even if it does take days, months, years.

But once that door closes behind Haruka, and Sousuke’s left all to himself, it all breaks within him, and he falls to his knees.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke moves out of their apartment in Chofu at the end of the month. He’s managed to find himself an apartment across Tokyo in Bunkyo, and it’s a lot smaller than the one he had up until just recently. He’d moved from west to east on purpose, trying to get as far away from Chofu as possible while still living in Tokyo, and being able to get to work.

Things are different, but Sousuke gradually learns to accept the fact that Haruka’s gone, and that he’ll never be back. And if he did come back, he’d come back to an empty apartment in Nakano, or one that’s occupied by someone else. Someone who isn’t Sousuke, and someone whom he used to share his entire life with. Someone he went from lovers to strangers with just by walking out the door.


	91. MakoRin #25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Okay so omg lately there's been so much angst going around on your blog so cOULD YOU MAYBE WRITE SOME MAKORIN FLUFF where Rin watches Makoto sleep beside him *coughs* maybe they're on their honeymoon *coughs* and just can't handle his feelings for him and kisses his stupidly gorgeous *cougs* husband all over his face until Makoto wakes up and thEY CUDDLE LOTS AND IDK *SPINS AROUND* if you want, I'd love to read something like that from you ;u;)b**
> 
> Asked by: [souxmako](http://souxmako.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried something new: first person POV! I actually kind of liked writing it, but I don't know how it turned out. Feedback is always welcome.

Early morning, I’m gently dragged out of sleep, and I squint at the light filtering through the crevice between the curtains. I look around myself to try and get a bearing of my surroundings, and when it comes back to me, I can’t help but smile to myself. By my side, I sense another presence, another person, and I know that if I grab the hand closest to me, I’ll find a silver ring adonring the ring finger.

I can’t help myself, so I do. Gladly, it doesn’t seem to wake him, so I can just stare back and forth between his and my rings for a bit, take it in, revel in the happiness that comes with being a newly-wed. I still find it a little hard to believe that the man currently sleeping next to me is my  _husband_ , when twenty-four hours ago, we’d just been regular old boyfriends. Fiancés, technically.

It’s funny, really, with our weird history. Haru probably still isn’t too okay with me being with Makoto, but that’s just because he’s protective of his best friend. And honestly, I can’t blame him; I didn’t treat Makoto with the respect he deserved way back when. I don’t know if he thinks I’ve made up for that period of our lives yet, but I have no intent on ceasing to shower this man in love, affection, attention and to give him that respect he so well deserves.

I still don’t understand  _how_  he puts up with me, and how he’s never given up on me despite the bumpy road we’ve taken to get here. His patience knows no bounds, and I kind of strive to reach those kind of levels one day with my own patience, as well. Sure, I may have a short fuse, but I burn myself out rather quickly. Maybe that’s the compensation for my weird temper.

As slowly and quietly as I can, I get out of bed to brush my teeth and wash my face, knowing I won’t be able to fall back to sleep. I can still lie in bed for a while, at least until Makoto wakes up. Whenever that’ll be is beyond me, but I don’t mind if he sleeps in.

When I’m done, I lie down in bed again, facing Makoto to get a proper look of the man sleeping in bed next to me. Honestly, this bed is  _ridiculously_  huge; I’m going to miss it once we return back home in a week. It’s sad that we couldn’t take more time off work, but we both figure we could try and compensate that when Tanabata comes up in just a few weeks.

I gently stroke Makoto’s cheek, brushing a strand of hair away from his face. He looks so peaceful, and the corners of his lips are turned up ever so slightly, like he’s having a really good dream. I’m glad, because it’s been a while since he’d seemed so at peace when sleeping. Since he’d had more dreams than nightmares in his sleep that kept waking him and robbing him of the sleep he needs in order to cope with his long days at work.

Tachibana Makoto is still somewhat of a mystery to me. There are times when I can’t possibly figure out what he’s thinking or what he wants, but then there are those very few instances where I can read him like a book. Yeah, he’s still a big mystery, but that’s what makes the future so exciting. I have all the time in the world to try and figure this man out, and there’s no rush.

The more I observe Makoto in his sleep, the more my urge to just kiss that stupidly beautiful face grows, and so I give in. Of course, I still don’t want to wake him as there’s no need to, and we can afford to sleep in, so I plant soft kisses over his forehead, on the bridge of his nose, on his cheeks, along his jawline. I really can’t help it, I’m still very much giddy from yesterday, and I don’t even care that he isn’t awake for it.

(I might actually prefer that he isn’t.)

But then Makoto stirs in his sleep, and I freeze right where my face is just an inch above his, having practically kissed him all over his face. And then he opens his eyes, half-way, kind of squinting, but the green still almost shines through, and I can’t help but smile.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

He blinks a few times, frowning at the light entering our hotel room through the curtains, which is brighter now than it was when I first woke up. “Rin... can you do that again?”

I raise a questioning eyebrow. “What, say ‘morning, sleepyhead’?”

Makoto laughs a little. “No. Kiss me again. it felt nice.”

I instantly feel heat rise to my cheeks and face overall, and I flinch. “You... you noticed that?”

“Yeah. I’ve been awake for a few minutes, but I didn’t want to say anything. I liked it. If you continue, I might be able to fall right back asleep. Please?”

The pleading tone in his voice is one I can never decline. Goddamn this man, always being able to persuade me somehow. So I do as my husband wants, and continue kissing his face. Makoto hums, and he brings his arms around my middle, and then all of a sudden my lips are pressed against his. I instantly pull away, disgust probably written all over my face.

“You have morning breath still”, I say, wrinkling my nose. “At least  _I’ve_  brushed my teeth.”

“Rin, I just woke up”, Makoto points out, but we both know it’s a lie, since that bastard’s apparently been awake while I’ve been a gross super-romantic idiot and kissing him all over his face.

“I know”, I sigh, but I smile nevertheless. Makoto  _still_  pulls me down again, and this time, he settles for just rubbing his nose against mine, and I hold back a snort at how  _cheesy_  it is, because I still find it romantic. (Sousuke would laugh at that.)

“I love you”, Makoto says, and his smile reaches his eyes, lights up his entire being, and I almost feel dizzy from how beautiful he looks. Will I ever get tired of seeing this man every day? Probably not, and I’m glad for that.

“I love you, too”, I say, and I’ve never meant it like I mean it now. Maybe it’s just the honeymoon phase of our marriage, of the rest of our lives together, but I’ll take it. I’m perfectly fine with living in the now, in the present, because that’s where Makoto is. That’s where  _home_  is.


	92. SouHaru #44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: write gross souharu. Write them going on vacation or something like that to the beach obviously.**
> 
> Added: they're friggin' husbands what'd you expect. Requested/suggested by: [hopenobodyeverfindsthis](http://hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com), AO3 [here](http:archiveofourown.org/users/holdontoyourhulahoops).

When Haruka wakes up that morning, he does so before his alarm clock goes off, and turns it off as to not wake his husband. He turns to lie on his back, and lets out a soft sigh. He wonders if Sousuke remembers what day it is. Of course, he’ll know what  _weekday_  it is, but Haruka wonders if he knows what else kind of day it is. It hasn’t been  _that_  many years so that they wouldn’t keep count. Or so he hopes.

Haruka turns his head slightly to the side to find Sousuke still very much asleep, and he’s glad for that. That means he can get up and make them breakfast in bed in peace without having to hurry or anything. He doesn’t like hurrying food, it’s like when he’s drawing or painting — those things take time. Especially on a day like this, when you’ve been married to someone for five years.

When he’s about to try and sneak out of bed, a hand shoots out from under the duvet to grab his wrist, and Haruka nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Morning, sunshine”, Sousuke mumbles. “I should’ve known you’d wake up before me. Sorry about that.”

Haruka frowns. “Why are you sorry?”

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping in. Well, good thing I’m up, because we need to get out soon.”

“What?”

“Taxi’s coming to pick us up. It’s a surprise, so don’t bother asking.”

 _Oh. So he DID remember_.

Haruka gets out of bed with Sousuke and doesn’t say anything. The two of them have a quick breakfast of stuffed omelettes and lettuce before Sousuke drags Haruka back upstairs for them to pack. Pack? They’re going on a trip? Well, this is certainly not how Haruka had expected them to spend their five year anniversary, but he can’t complain.

So the two of them pack a sports bag each before the taxi driver calls Sousuke to let him know he’s arrived, and then the two of them hurry out of the house. Haruka wants so badly to know where on Earth his husband is taking him, but knows it'll be no use in asking, since Sousuke won’t tell him.

 

* * *

 

At some point, Haruka’s fallen asleep, and he’s gently shaken awake again by Sousuke, who tells him they’ve arrived. Haruka sniffs the air and realises he smells the sea, and then he’s immediately fully awake. He follows Sousuke out of the car after the other’s paid for the taxi fare, and with their bags in hand, they approach a little building by the ocean. Of course. The ocean.

But the ocean isn’t where Sousuke’s headed, and he goes inside the building instead, which just makes Haruka even more confused. He’s never been here before, and judging by how long he’d been asleep in the car, he reckons they aren’t even in Iwatobi anymore. So where are they?

It almost feels like he’s been abducted, taken to an unknown location against his will. Except he’s weirdly excited for what they’re going to do here; he knows Sousuke must’ve made rather big plans. That in itself makes Haru glad, because he’d almost feared Sousuke had forgotten it was their anniversary.

Said building turns out to be a reception, and Sousuke checks them in and receives a key from the lady behind the counter, before she tells them how to get to their bungalow. When she mentions ‘bungalow’, Haruka feels his jaw drop, and he sees Sousuke smirking at him in the corner of his eye. The surprises just keep coming at him like foam balls in dodgeball, and he’s the worst at this game, just keeps getting hit.

They walk along the outskirts of the beach until they reach a bungalow with a light blue door, labelled with the number five. It  _has_  to be on purpose, it can’t be a coincidence. Sousuke, that sly devil. Haruka bites the inside of his cheek as to not completely overreact and let out these thoughts and emotions he’s had since Sousuke told him they had to hurry earlier that morning.

Haruka and Sousuke walk in through the door to be greeted with a bright, surprisingly spacious interior, with a door at the back by the kitchen leading right out to the ocean. It gives them a breathtaking view, that’s for sure. Haruka can’t help but just stand there, dumbfounded, and stare at his surroundings. Sousuke laughs.

“Surprised, I bet?”

“Uh-huh”, is all Haruka manages in response as he begins walking around the little house to inspect it. The kitchen is rather small, but it fits them perfectly as they’re only two people. Haruka finds the light wooden cabinet doors a nice match with the otherwise very light blue or white kitchen furniture. They really went for an ocean theme here, didn’t they?

The bedroom houses a medium sized closet with mirror doors in one corner, and a big window that gives them a fantastic view of the beach and the ocean. Said window would’ve been an issue had they not had any curtains, but of course, they’re covered in that department, too. Their king-size bed is decorated in rose petals, and Haruka can’t help but snort.

“Cheesy”, Sousuke comments, and Haruka nods with an eyebrow raised in slight amusement. It looks like it’s been taken straight out of a romantic film, but it’s right there in front of his eyes. The very definition of cheesy, but then again, they  _are_  here to celebrate their fifth anniversary, so maybe it was to be  expected.

“It’s nice, though. At least they did something special rather than just leave things boring and colourless.”

“I guess so”, his husband hums.

When Haruka’s done surveying the bungalow they’re staying in for the weekend, as he’d overheard in the reception, he and Sousuke return out to the common area, Sousuke having followed closely behind him all this time.

“So do you like it?”

“Do I... do I like it?” Haru echoes. “Of course I like it. This is... I’m—”

“Speechless?”

“Yeah”, Haruka says, and averts his gaze. “Good thing there’s a beach.”

Sousuke snickers. “Good. That’s the effect I was looking for. And of course there’d be a beach, I don’t wanna get my head bitten off. Let’s go check out the place, hmm?”

There’s an ocean that stretches as far as Haruka’s eyes can see and even beyond. The sand is white, smooth, and feels nice between his toes as they take a walk after dinner at a restaurant in town. Most people have already left the beach seeing as it’s a little late for swimming, so they can walk the beach completely undisturbed and in a comfortable silence, only pierced by the sound of the waves coming into shore, only to recede again.

Their first day at the bungalow resort ends in their surprisingly soft king-size bed, with Sousuke’s arms wrapped around Haruka. A pretty good way to end their five year anniversary, in his opinion.

 

* * *

 

He wants to make it into a habit of living so close to the beach. To hear the faint sound of the waves when he opens a window. To be able to just walk outside, and see the ocean stretch out far and wide in front of him. Haruka doesn’t want to leave, and he does his best to treasure this weekend he spends here with Sousuke.

They take a walk on the beach in the morning before people start crowding it, and then they head into town to shop for groceries, and make breakfast upon coming back home. It’s very relaxing, even if they  _are_  cooking their own food despite being on a vacation. It still takes Haruka’s mind off of things for a bit, and he feels like he'll probably come home fully rested and ready to get right back into work again.

The rest of their day is spent being lazy the beach, and while Haruka would normally go nuts from not moving around too much, he actually enjoys just lying around, taking in the sun, listening to people around them, listening to the waves.

“Don’t fall asleep now”, Sousuke says as he comes up to Haruka, who’s actually just about to fall asleep. Sousuke’s been out in the water, and is literally dripping wet. “Come on, let’s go out into the water. It’s nice.”

Haruka groans. “Do I have to?”

“No, but you’d make decent company.”

“Fine.”

He humours his husband, and the two get out into the water. It’s actually pretty nice, and it cools him down from having been out in the sun for a while. Normally when they’d be in the water like this, when it isn’t in their little tub at home, they’d probably go for a race. But not today. They’re on vacation, it’s a special trip just for the two of them, and it shouldn’t have to include competition unless it’s about who gets to sleep on the side closest to the window.

When they’re walking back to the bungalow, Sousuke takes Haruka’s hand in his, and Haruka looks up at him. Sousuke smiles.

“Guessing you enjoyed the weekend?”

Haruka scoffs, and frowns slightly, as he stops walking. “Of course I did.”

 _I loved it_ , he wants to say, but can’t quite seem to get the words out. By the look on Sousuke’s face, he seems to get the message, anyway.

“I’m glad. Happy fifth anniversary, Haruka”, Sousuke says, and he bends his head down a little to give his husband a kiss. He places a hand behind Haruka’s head, and Haruka almost immediately melts into their kiss. He doesn’t care if people see them right now; he’s probably the happiest man alive, and wouldn’t let anything bother him.

The two return back home the next morning, and while Haruka  _does_  feel well rested, he still feels sad that their weekend had to end so quickly. Even so, he’s pretty sure they’ve just entered into a second honeymoon phase, because Sousuke still doesn’t really let go of him for the rest of that day.

And maybe Haruka doesn’t actually mind that he doesn’t.


	93. MakoRin #26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto's POV, first person.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

Sometimes I really don’t feel like I deserve him. Like there’s still something I need to do to get the approval needed to continue living by his side. Rin sometimes feels world apart from myself, and I feel like I’m a little boy gazing up at a star I can’t reach. Of course, Rin often makes sure to remind me that I’m a star just like him, right up there in the sky next to him. Or that we’re both two stargazing boys, aiming for the sky one day.

I know he’d berate me if I voiced my thoughts out loud, but sometimes I just can’t help them. There’s just that one last stretch of my journey towards self acceptance I still have to walk, but I’m glad I at least have support along the way in case I stumble or fall. Someone to encourage me, and tell me to keep going even if I don’t feel like I can or want to.

With what we both do for a living, it leaves us very little time outside of work for each other. And despite having lived with each other for years now, we still feel bad about not being able to spend as much time together as we both want to. Thankfully, we do have some weekends and holidays off, unless there’s something urgent that forces us to go out there and do our jobs.

This time, it’s Tanabata, and we’re both off work. We’ve both gotten dressed in yukatas (I had to help Rin tie his obi, because he  _still_  can’t tie bows neatly), and we’re standing out by the viewpoint up on the hill. This place in particular brings back different kinds of memories. Happy ones, sad ones. It reminds me of my first fight with Haru, but it also reminds me of the night of nationals day when we’d won with the Iwatobi team. It was all so long ago, yet I remember all of these events so vividly they might just as well have happened yesterday.

“Save my spot, I’ll go get us something. What do you want to drink? Eat?” Rin asks me, and I turn to face him with a smile.

“Just a green apple Ramune and yakitori. Thanks, Rin.”

“Sure.”

He disappears down the steps towards the food stalls, and I lean against the railing to enjoy the view of Iwatobi at night, well lit up with lanterns on my side, and street lights on the other side of the river. There’s a slight, but not cold, breeze, which rustles my yukata a little. It’s very peaceful, not too noisy, and I really like just standing there and taking it all in.

Rin returns after about fifteen minutes, and he has a scowl on his face when he does. “Long line. Woman in front of me decided to pay in ten yen coins. Who does that?”

“Someone with too much change in their wallet? Or... purse?” I suggest, unable to keep the laughter in that bubbles up within me. Rin is just  _too_  cute when he gets angered by trivial things.

“Very funny.”

He hands me my food and drink, and we both stand and look out over the town we grew up in, the town where we met, fell in love, and eventually got married. I’m seeing this town differently now; I’m at peace with things, with my life, and with how things are with Rin. I may still have a few things to work on regarding myself, but I know I can make it one day, and I don’t  _have_  to rely on my husband for it — but it’s nice to know he’s there for me if I want or temporarily need to.

The fireworks display begins not too long after we’ve eaten and discarded our containers and bottles, and we’re both in a sort of trance as we watch the fireworks colour the sky in all sorts of colours. I look to my side, just glancing without turning my head, and I see it all reflect in Rin’s eyes, the colours dancing on his face, and I’m falling for him all over again. How it’s possible after all these years is beyond me, but I’m grateful for it nevertheless.

I take his hand over the railing, and I can’t help but look at the ring on his left ring finger. I’m all of a sudden hit by a wave of feelings for this man, and I can’t help but smile as I look at him.

“Rin”, I say when the explosions of the fireworks have died out. In the corner of my eye, I see him turn to face me, so I do the same.

“Yeah?”

I smile again. Widely; it probably reaches all the way to my ears, but I can’t help it. “I love you.”

Rin almost looks teary-eyed when he, too, breaks into a smile, and he tightens the grip on my hand before inching closer. He puts a hand behind my head, and I lean in for a kiss; a soft, slow, but passionate kiss that still manages to awaken the horde of butterflies in my stomach.

“I love you, too”, he says, and the way he says it always makes me believe him. There isn’t an ounce of doubt, of insincerity, in those four words, despite us having been married for several years, and together for even longer. It’s still there, and I feel like my love for him just grows stronger every day that goes.

We may not be able to spend as much time together as we would want to, but at least we know we still have each other. We know we have someone to come home to at the end of a long day, and knowing that is something that helps me get through the toughest of days.

Sometimes I really don’t feel like I deserve him. It’s true, but sometimes, he wordlessly manages to assure me that I do. Through his actions, through his body language, the way he looks at me, the way he smiles, speaks to me. He doesn’t have to say it, but I know what he means, and I believe him.


	94. SouHaru #45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke sometimes can't help feeling lonely and insecure when Haru is away for international swimming events. But Makoto is there to reassure him and listen.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“I’ll see you in a week.”

“Yeah.”

Haruka stands on his toes and grabs the front of Sousuke’s shirt. Sousuke leans his head down, and their lips meet in a kiss, one that Sousuke melts into almost too quickly, as he puts his hand behind Haruka’s head. Then, as soon as the kiss had initiated, it ends, and Haruka bends down to pick up his sports bag.

“It’s just a week, Sousuke. You’ll be fine”, he says, and Sousuke hates that Haruka can read his mind no matter how hard he’s trying to hide his thoughts from his boyfriend.

“I know”, he mutters, and Haruka smiles ever so slightly before swinging his bag over his shoulder. Yes, of  _course_  he knows Sousuke won’t be fine. He feels like a dog waiting for its owner to come back home after work. Except this is a swimming tournament, and it isn’t just over one day. Haruka’s going to be gone for an entire  _week_ , and they haven’t been apart from each other that long since before they even started dating. And back then, that was perfectly normal, given their relationship.

When the door shuts behind Haruka, Sousuke locks it, and then he walks back into the living room. Their apartment feels a lot bigger now that there’s only one person in it, and only one person to live here for an entire week. He suddenly doesn’t know what to  _do_  with all of this space, with all of the time forcibly pushed onto him. Sure, he’s got work to do during the day, but when evening comes, Haruka won’t be around.

One thing he  _really_  isn’t looking forward to is sleeping in his bed alone. The bed is already big for the two of them — even with Haruka taking up more than half of it with the weird way he sleeps — and it’s going to feel just…  _wrong_  to sleep in there alone. Maybe Sousuke could just settle for the couch. ‘It’s just for a week’, after all.

His first day home alone goes by… okay, at best. Even though he keeps the TV on as company, it doesn’t provide much  _useful_  company, as if he wanted to talk, it wouldn’t respond. The lack of  _Haruka_  around the apartment drives him nuts, even though he does hang out with co-workers after work every now and then.

When he’s sitting in the car about to start the engine and drive back home after a long day behind a desk with a pounding headache, his phone rings in his pocket. Slightly confused as to who would call him  _now_ , he fishes his phone out of said pocket and looks at his display in disbelief.

_Tachibana, Makoto. Answer?_

He doesn’t see a reason  _not_  to pick up, so he does. “Yeah?”

“ _Ah, Sousuke-kun? Are you at work?_ ”

“No, just left. And drop the honorific,  _please_ , Tachibana. How long have we been friends?”

“ _A couple of years, I guess. But you’re no better, still using my last name, Sousuke_.”

Makoto puts emphasis on Sousuke’s name sans the honorific this time, and Sousuke feels bad. Maybe he shouldn’t lecture others on how to do things when he can’t even practice what he preaches.

“Right”, he replies. “So,  _Makoto_ , what’s up?”

“ _Oh, honey, you’re making me blush. I was wondering if it’s okay for me to pop by? Rin’s working a late shift. Maybe we could cook together or something_.”

“You’re not cooking”, Sousuke says with a frown he knows Makoto can’t see, anyway. Last time he witnessed Makoto cook, they’d had to use up all of Rin’s and Makoto’s baking soda to put out the fire that erupted. It really  _is_  fitting for Makoto to be working as a fire-fighter, because he gets to put them out rather than start them.

“ _You know what, I have a new nickname for you, No-fun-Sousuke. So can I come over or not?_ ”

“Fine. I’m gonna be home in about half an hour.”

“ _See you then!_ ” Makoto responds, and Sousuke cuts the call to drive over to the supermarket.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke ends up cooking, and Makoto stands by with a pout, sometimes alternated with a fascinated expression, watching him make them Makoto’s favourite dish of green curry chicken with rice as a compromise. And he doesn’t even seem mad about not being allowed to help cook once they’re actually seated with a bowl of food each.

“This is so good, Sousuke”, Makoto compliments him, and Sousuke looks down at his bowl as he pokes at it, feeling slightly embarrassed at the attention suddenly given to him.

“Thanks”, he mumbles in response. “So, er, how… was your day?”

Okay, so maybe he  _still_ isn’t the best at starting conversations. But at least he’s trying, and Makoto, thankfully, seems to go along with it without any other comments.

“It was good. Rescued a cat from a tree, which was probably the highlight of my day. Otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.”

Sousuke can’t help but smile. “You really do enjoy your job, don’t you?”

“I do. Makes me feel useful.”

He’s heard that before, and he knows the meaning behind it. It makes him feel bad, even though he was never really friends with Makoto back when his feelings of inadequacy were more prominent. It seems his relationship with Rin has given him more confidence, and it’s nice to see.

They clean up after dinner together — mainly because Sousuke just  _really_  wanted to shut Makoto up about not being allowed to help even though he’s supposed to be a guest — and then Sousuke makes them tea. He’s usually a coffee person, but gives up on it just for this occasion, and for simplicity’s sake. Mostly the latter.

Most of their tea drinking is spent in silence. Sousuke finds himself deeply immersed in his own thoughts, thinking about Haruka, thinking about how he always dreads going to bed alone at night.

“Sousuke?”

He blinks in confusion, being pulled back into reality. “Yeah?”

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Oh. Er... no. Sorry, what was that?”

Makoto laughs, and shakes his head. “Nothing important. You’re worried about Haru, aren’t you?”

He huffs, knowing it’s no use trying to lie and weasel his way out of it. “That obvious, huh.”

“Sorry, but yeah. He  _is_ coming back, you know that, right?”

“I do”, he mutters. “It’s just... don’t tell him this, okay?”

Makoto raises his eyebrows in surprise, but nods.

“I’m just scared he’s going to get too far away from me. Fly too high, maybe. Be too independent. Like, I’m all for him being independent, but maybe one day he won’t need me. Very much like someone else.”

“You know it’s not like that. Rin still needs you in his life, and Haru does, too. I don’t think you realise just how happy you make him. He wouldn’t leave you just because he’s gone professional and goes on the occasional tournament or promotional event.”

He leans forward on the table with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t trust him. I do, I just—”

“—get insecure sometimes. It’s perfectly normal, I’ve been there with Rin a couple of times myself. But I’ve learnt in our years together that he’ll always come home to me one day, and that I’m the one he wants to sleep next to. Haru and Rin may be as different as night and day, but in that regard, I know they’re very much alike.”

It all sounds so cheesy, and a few years ago, Makoto would  _never_ have been able to say all of this with a straight face, and with such striking sincerity in his voice. Sousuke finds his growth almost frightening, but he admires Makoto a lot for all of the hurdles he’s gotten over, and for never giving up along the way.

“Guess you’re right. Sorry for sounding like a whining baby about this”, Sousuke says, finally managing to maintain eye contact with Makoto, who just smiles warmly at him.

“Always glad to lend an ear, Sousuke.”

 

* * *

 

Haruka comes back five days later, exhaustion evident not only on his face but in his sluggish movements, as well. He has a silver medal around his neck, which Sousuke is quick to congratulate him for. Haruka, of course, only responds with a shrug before Sousuke pulls him in for an embrace. He almost doesn’t want to let go, but knows he has to, so Haruka can take a shower and go to bed, which he really seems to need right now.

When they’re in bed not too long after, Sousuke scoots close to his boyfriend and buries his nose in the back of Haruka’s neck. Haruka lets out an almost inaudible, short laugh.

“Missed me?”

Sousuke frowns to himself in the darkness, glad Haruka can’t see him. “Maybe I did.”

“Okay. I missed you, too.”

The honesty in his words is difficult to doubt, and Sousuke’s frown quickly morphs into a wide grin, and he tightens his embrace.

Maybe next time, he won’t be such a wreck. At least he’ll know Makoto won’t allow him to become one.


	95. SouHaru #46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Haru's parents visiting, and they don't approve of Sousuke AT ALL. They try to control Haru into leaving him, but then Sousuke stands up for himself, and comforts the heartbroken Haru because he really wanted Sousuke to be accepted.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

He hates that they’re here again. That they’ve once again come home because they felt like it, because they probably grew bored of constantly travelling, and needed some place to settle down for a few days.

And of course, said place had to be the only place Haruka has to himself. Sure, it was theirs to begin with, but they  _had_  left it to him when they decided to become ‘free spirits’. Bunch of hippie crap, that’s what Haruka thinks of it.

What’s even worse is how they reacted to Haruka dating Sousuke. Sousuke had been  _nothing_  but nice, friendly, talkative, the perfect boyfriend Haruka doesn’t feel like he deserves. He saw nothing wrong in the way Sousuke had acted towards his parents, yet they couldn’t have been more obvious in their strong dislike for him.

Haruka had prepared for this over the past couple of days. How to introduce Sousuke to them, how to tell them he’s gay and that he won’t provide his parents with grandchildren. He’d tried to act normal around them whilst trying to figure this all out, all the while texting Sousuke in secret and planning for him to come over.

“… and what are you going to do if you can’t keep working within law enforcement, if your shoulder starts hurting again? It sounds to me as if you aren’t fully healed yet.”

“I’m not”, Sousuke admits. “But I’m still working on it. I get discount on physiotherapy for my shoulder through work, which I’m doing as often as my schedule allows me to.”

Haruka’s father, ofcourse, doesn’t look convinced, and it looks like he’s just trying to come up with more questions to grill Sousuke with. It’s painful, and Haruka wants nothing but to disappear from there, and take Sousuke with him to save him from the hell that is his parents visiting. What has he really done to deserve this from them? No matter what he tries to come up with, nothing seems to make sense.

“Haruka, I still don’t approve of this. You should go with someone like Makoto-kun instead. He has a  _safe_  job, you’ve known him your entire life, and he could most definitely support you.”

“Sorry for interrupting, Nanase-san”, Sousuke says, “but I think Haruka’s more than capable of making his own decisions by now. I may not always understand why he wanted to date me in the first place, but the fact that he did makes me want to everything I can to support him, to be there for him and love him. And if that isn’t all you could ask for in your son’s boyfriend, then I don’t know what a boyfriend’s supposed to be like, and what your definition of it may be.”

Haruka’s eyes widen in shock at Sousuke’s bravery. Standing up to your boyfriend’s parents isn’t something most people would do, especially when they’ve been bombarded with hate, disgust and snide comments for hours on end. Haruka knows he would  _never_  be able to do such a thing himself, so he can’t do anything but just admire Sousuke for standing up for himself.

“I don’t want my son to date a  _delinquent_ ”, Haruka’s father responds with hostility in his voice. “I worry about him, and I want the best for him—”

“He’s sitting right here. If you can’t respect my choice, get out.”

“ _Haruka_ ”, his mother says, and Haruka feels the taste of bile in the back of his throat.

“Get. Out”, he repeats, and his parents look like they’ve literally just been scolded. Like they’re lost, not knowing what to do. And when they get up without another word, Haruka almost feels high on adrenaline, having told his parents off, and them actually listening to him, for once.

 

* * *

 

Haruka sits down on his bed with a sigh. They’ve just taken a shower, but neither of them have really said a word since his parents left. Talk about ruining the mood and ruining what would’ve been a perfectly good, peaceful few days he’d get with Sousuke before their short weekend is over, and they’ll both have to go back to work come Monday.

He crawls in under the duvet and pulls it up to his ears, covering half his face. He’s mortified over the fact that Sousuke finally got to see what his parents were really like. Sousuke had once said that ‘they can’t be  _that_ bad _’_ , and Haruka had simply responded saying ‘you don’t know them’. And it’s evident now that Sousuke regrets what he’d said earlier, because the look on his face spells out guilt.

“Haruka”, he mumbles as he joins Haruka under the duvet, “are you okay?”

Haruka closes his eyes, and lets out a shaky breath. He’s been holding it all in this entire evening, but Sousuke’s trivial question finally tipped him over the edge. Big, ugly tears fall from his eyes, and he sniffles, squints his eyes shut to prevent his emotions from spilling out. It was too late once the first tear fell, and now he just can’t stop the rest from falling.

“I just... really wanted them to accept you. If there was... anything I wanted them to accept about my life, it was you. And they didn’t”, he mutters, bringing a hand up from under the duvet to angrily wipe away his tears, to no avail.

“Haruka... this might sound kinda weird, but... I don’t really give two shits about what your parents think. They don’t own you, and you’re both capable of and allowed to make your own decisions. If they can’t accept them, then so be it. Let them be mad, let them throw shit at me, I don’t care. As long as you want me here and think I’m good enough, then I’m gonna stay.”

He looks up and pulls the duvet down a little, once again sniffling. “Really?”

“Yeah. Two old people are  _not_  gonna stop me from dating you. Hell, they make me want to date you even more than I already am.”

Haruka manages a snort. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t care. If we want to be with each other, then that’s all that matters. Right?”

He really doesn’t deserve Sousuke. A guy who doesn’t take anyone’s crap, someone who  _isn’t_  afraid to stand up for himself, and who isn’t ashamed of proclaiming his love for and devotion to Haruka to his parents. Well, if anyone would be able to do all of these things, it’s Sousuke.

And Haruka couldn’t be happier about Sousuke being his boyfriend.

“Yeah”, he replies, and Sousuke hums in approval of his response. He pulls Haruka into his arms and presses a kiss to his head.

“I love you, okay?”

“I know. Thanks, Sousuke.”

Sousuke laughs a little. “Sure.”

“I love you, too.”

“I know you do.”

“Confident bastard.”

But of course, Haruka loves that he is a confident bastard, and wouldn’t have it any other way.


	96. SouHaru #47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: could you do a fanfiction with haru and sousuke cuddling after sex? simple aftercare kind of fic.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“Haruka.”

“Mmm.”

“Lift.”

Haruka opens his eyes slowly, looking up at Sousuke sitting next to him, and then he does as he’s told. Sousuke takes out the pillow underneath him, and puffs it up again to put it on Haruka’s side of the bed.

“You’re sleeping on that tonight since it’s your pillow.”

Haruka snorts. “Am  _not_. I’m washing that in the morning.”

Sousuke laughs a little. “So what’re you gonna sleep on? The mattress?”

“You do know we have extra pillows in the closet, right?”

“Touché. I’m not getting that for you, though.”

“I know.”

Sousuke lies down again, but only halfway, supporting himself on his elbow propped up on the mattress. He reaches out a hand to run his fingers through Haruka’s hair.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

He always does this. Asks if Haruka’s okay, if he’s feeling good, if there’s anything Sousuke should do more or less of. Who would’ve thought that the big, buff Yamazaki Sousuke would turn out to be such a caring and loving person? Haruka almost feels  _bad_  for having thought otherwise of him prior to them being in a relationship.

Sousuke plants a kiss to his probably sweaty forehead, and Haruka wants to swat him away, but doesn’t have the energy to. His boyfriend then lies down next to him and pulls him into his embrace, which Haruka  _isn’t_  opposed to, strangely enough.

“We should really shower”, Haruka mumbles, and Sousuke groans in protest.

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Gross. I don’t wanna sleep like this.”

“I don’t wanna get out of bed. I’m comfortable.”

Well, Haruka can’t really disagree, because he’s obviously comfortable like this, too. At the same time, he really  _doesn’t_  wanna go to sleep without having showered first — preferably having taken a bath, but it’s probably too late for that, anyway — even if he doesn’t want to get out of this—

Ah, screw it.

“Guess you win. Again.”

Sousuke laughs. “I knew I would.”

“I wasn’t referring to the sex. Coming first in that situation does  _not_  mean you win.”

“Shut up”, Sousuke mutters in response, and Haruka snorts, resisting the urge to raise a fist in victory.

Sousuke continues lazily combing his fingers through Haruka’s hair, and it’s so soothing and relaxing that Haruka soon finds his eyelids getting heavier, and he’s having trouble keeping his eyes open.

Crap, he really  _is_  falling asleep like this. Well, so much for a shower.

“I’m getting my... revenge on you”, he yawns, and then squirms a bit in Sousuke’s arms. Sousuke kisses him on the top of his head.

“I’d like to see you try. Night, Haruka.”

“Mmm. Night.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke doesn’t think Haruka’s going to be able to get a proper revenge on him, but that’s where he’s wrong. Haruka, in his grumpy morning mood even after his long-awaited bath, goes into the kitchen while Sousuke’s in the shower, and turns on the hot water. He waits for a few seconds, and then comes the blood-curling scream from the bathroom, followed by a string of curse words that would have all of the deities in the heavens above recoil in horror.

Haruka snickers to himself and goes to prepare breakfast, but doesn’t make it very far before he hears running footsteps behind him.

“ _Ha-ru-ka_ ”, Sousuke growls behind him, and just as he turns around, Sousuke comes to tickle him in the sides before he has a chance to register what’s going on, and get away. Of course. The _one_ weakness he has, Sousuke has to exploit. This was a bad idea, and Haruka immediately regrets what he’d vowed to do last night.


	97. SouHaru #48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke comforting Haru because of his nightmares.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

When there’s a light kick in his shin, Sousuke wakes up with a jolt. A year ago, and he would’ve woken up in a terrible mood and barked at Haruka to stop flinching and twitching in his sleep. Of course, that was never something he could control in the first place, but it still wouldn’t have stopped Sousuke from being annoyed.

Knowing the actual reason behind this, Sousuke does what he always does when Haruka has nightmares; he scoots up a little, and lifts Haruka’s head up to rest against his chest. Haruka has said before that hearing Sousuke’s heartbeat calms him down, and up until now, there hasn’t been a time when it  _hasn’t_  worked. Sousuke just wishes he could do this for reasons other than to calm his boyfriend down from his nightmares in the middle of the night.

Sousuke feels absolutely useless in situations like these. He knows that even if he tells Haruka those nightmares aren’t real, that’s not going to stop them from coming back to haunt his boyfriend in his sleep. And in the moment that they do happen, it can be very difficult to  _not_  believe the voices, believe what he sees in his dream. Sousuke’s been there himself several times, so he knows at least a little what it’s like.

Haruka twitches again, and Sousuke looks down at him with a worried frown. His hand only leaves Haruka’s hair to wipe the tears that fall from Haruka’s closed eyes, and he makes sure to keep Haruka’s ear to his chest so that he’s reminded of Sousuke’s presence once he does make it out of the nightmare. It’s been a thing in the past where Haruka’s woken up and been extremely worried that Sousuke  _wasn’t_  there anymore, and it would take a while to assure him that Sousuke was indeed there and that he’d never left in the first place.

Haruka doesn’t talk about his nightmares, and Sousuke knows he probably shouldn’t ask, so he doesn’t. All Sousuke knows is about that one nightmare Haruka had back in their last year of high school right before nationals; when Haruka had felt immense pressure from pretty much  _everyone_  around them, and Sousuke still feels bad about having been one of those people.

And of course, this isn’t just his way of making up for those times, for all the times in their past that he caused Haruka stress or grief. They’ve moved onto a different kind of level with their relationship, and him doing this is a way of showing that he’s there, that Haruka has someone to turn to when he wants or needs to. He’s usually not one to  _show_  that he wants or needs someone to comfort him, but Sousuke’s learnt to read the signs in the time they’ve been together.

All of a sudden, Haruka flinches violently again, and this time, he wakes with a gasp. Sousuke still doesn’t stop his fingers from combing through Haruka’s hair.

“Hey”, he murmurs. “You okay?”

Haruka looks up at him, and then wipes at the tear-stains on his face. “Sorry I woke you.”

Sousuke shakes his head. “’S fine. You want something? Water, maybe?”

“No.” He doesn’t miss the ‘ _don’t go_ ’ that’s left unspoken, and Sousuke stays in place. Haruka eventually leans back against Sousuke’s chest, and when Sousuke sees Haruka’s shoulders heave up and down in an even rhythm again, he feels a little calmer himself.

The two manage to go back to sleep, and fortunately, Haruka sleeps through the night without his demons coming back for a second visit.


	98. SouHaru #49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Lets have some needy haru bc sousuke talks to rin on phone FOR HOURS so he climbs into his lap and distracts him with tickling, kisses and simply being a little shit bc he needs some attention too and teasing sousuke is his hobby anyway.**
> 
> Asked by: [trashbien](http://trashbien.tumblr.com).

“… not surprised about this, and I don’t even  _know_  the guy. Talk to your landlord about it? I don’t think having bugs is allowed, let alone pets. Maybe I’m wrong. What, don’t tell me you haven’t thought about that before. Jesus, Rin, no wonder you’re living like that. I’d try to get his ass kicked out the  _first_  time it happened.”

Haruka rolls his eyes at Sousuke’s phone conversation with Rin as he dries the last plate in the kitchen. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s pretty difficult when Sousuke isn’t making any effort to talk in private, with him sitting in the living room and all. He’s been on the phone with Rin for half an hour now, if not more, and it’s more than just a  _little_  frustrating for Haru.

He finishes doing the dishes, and returns out into the living room, where Sousuke’s  _still_  sitting on the couch talking to Rin on the phone. He’s like a teenage girl who talks about boys, make-up and hot celebrities on the phone with her best friend. Honestly, this isn’t really that much different. Except they’re apparently talking about Rin’s neighbour who keeps bugs as pets, and they seem prone to escaping.

Haru wonders why Rin isn’t just ‘accidentally’ stepping on them on his way out. They’re just bugs, anyway. If he’d been talking to Rin instead of Sousuke, the same conversation they’ve managed to have for nearly forty minutes would’ve taken Haru and Rin less than five.

He sits down on the couch next to his boyfriend, not leaving a whole lot of room to demonstrate just  _how_  tired he is of Sousuke talking to Rin for so long. But Sousuke just shoots him a grin, and then continues talking as if nothing happened. Haru feels his eye twitch at having just been blatantly ignored, so he decides to get up and sit right in Sousuke’s lap. No more mercy; Sousuke’s been given plenty of it already.

“Yeah, but what if you— oi, Haruka!”

Haru looks at his boyfriend with an indifferent expression. “What?”

Sousuke shrugs. “Just surprised me, is all. Tell me before you decide to dump your ass on my lap next time.”

He won’t.

Sousuke goes back to talking to Rin, again as if nothing happened, and Haru’s patience is very quickly running out. He leans forward, puts his hands on both sides of Sousuke against the back of the couch, and starts trailing kisses down Sousuke’s jawline and neck.

“Wait, Rin, I— Haruka,  _please—”_

“Phone. Off.”

“What? I can’t just—”

“Then no.”

Honestly, Sousuke can see and talk to Rin whenever he wants, so why  _now_ , and why for so goddamn long? It’s a Sunday afternoon, both Haruka and Sousuke are off work for once, and Sousuke decides to spend said afternoon talking to his co-worker slash best friend on the phone? Haruka tells himself he’s  _this_  close to kicking Sousuke’s ass out on the curb, but he knows he probably won’t.

It  _would_  be nice with a little recognition and attention, however, which he’s severely lacking right now.

He runs his nose along Sousuke’s throat in an effort to make it tickle, and it seems like Sousuke’s at least reacting to it, but trying not to. He flinches, and then tries to swat Haruka away like he’s a fly, but Haruka won’t budge. This time, he begins kissing Sousuke instead, up his throat, feeling Sousuke’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallows hard.

“Rin, I’m— gonna have to... c-call you back”, Sousuke says, and Haru bites back a snicker, continuing to distract his boyfriend.  _Finally_ , the phone call seems to be ending.

He nips at the skin on Sousuke’s neck, lightly biting at it and continuing with his kisses. Sousuke begins squirming about as he tries to hang up, and Haruka knows he’s going to be in  _so_  much trouble when Sousuke actually does hang up.

“Yeah, I’m f-fine. Just... call you later, okay?”

At last, Sousuke hangs up, and Haru smiles against Sousuke’s skin whilst continuing to kiss him.  _Victory is mine_. Take that, Rin.

“Haruka”, Sousuke growls, emphasising each vowel slowly in an ominous tone. Yep, Haruka’s done for, but he knows it’ll be worth the risk he took. All of a sudden, he's thrown back down onto the couch, and he has a perfect view of the ceiling for approximately half a second before Sousuke obscures it, and then leans down to kiss him, practically pinning him down.

Haruka puts his arms around Sousuke, intent on never letting go now that he’s finally managed to get his boyfriend’s attention. Sousuke pulls apart a little and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You know you’re a little shit, right?”

Haruka sniffs and averts his gaze. “I just wanted your attention for at least five minutes today.”

Sousuke suddenly goes still, and sits like that for a few seconds in what seems like stunned silence. Haruka looks up at him, and then Sousuke lies down to nuzzle his head into the crook of Haruka’s neck.

“Sorry”, he mumbles. “I didn’t realise. I’m still bad at this.”

Haruka shrugs. “I am, too. At least now you know.”

“Yeah. I’ll make it up to you. We have all evening for me to do that. I’ll order takeout, too. Deal?”

There’s no way Haruka  _can’t_  agree to it, so of course, he does. And the entire evening, Sousuke makes sure in all ways he can that Haruka is the most important person in his life. Rin may be his best friend, but there’s no one he loves like he loves Haruka.

And Haruka couldn’t be happier about that.


	99. MakoRin #27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRin during a snowstorm.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“Hurry up, or we’re gonna be buried in the snow!” Rin yells to overpower the whistling sound of the wind, as he pulls his jacket up to cover his ears. Why he refused to put a hat on before leaving the house earlier is beyond him, but he really does regret that now.

Makoto comes running not too long after him, and the two make their way up to his house. What was supposed to be a romantic walk out in the snow instead turned into a series of hiding under various café awnings and roofs on their way back to Rin’s house. Well, so much for that date.

They eventually make it inside, and Rin closes the door almost too quickly behind Makoto, who has to jump forward as to not get slammed by the door. He frowns at Rin.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to wait half a second extra to let me inside properly”, he says, and Rin smiles sheepishly.

“Sorry. I just don’t want it all blowing into the hallway. Mum would kill me.”

Makoto sighs. “It’s fine. At least we’re inside now, and it’s warm.”

Rin takes his shoes and jacket off, and goes inside. “Do you want hot chocolate? I could make us some. And we probably have something to snack on, but I don’t know what. Make yourself at home, by the way, but I guess you already knew to do that.”

“Sure, that’d be great. And yes, I know. Thanks”, Makoto replies, and Rin continues inside. He notices the chocolate powder is  _just_  enough for the two of them, and sends a text to his mother to buy them more, or Gou is going to yell at him for taking the rest without consulting her about it.

When he’s heating up milk in a pot on the stove, he suddenly hears an ‘ _eep_!’ sound coming from the living room, and he goes out to check what just happened.

“Was that you, Makoto?” he asks, and Makoto looks at him with a sheepish grin.

“The wind sounds scary, that’s all.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “Literally  _anything_  could scare you. I’ll be out to hold your hand in a bit.”

“I don’t need you to hold my hand!” Makoto retorts, as Rin returns to the kitchen, laughing. He knows Makoto wants him to hold his hand, and Makoto  _will_  probably do it when he does return. No matter what Makoto tries to tell him or even tell himself.

He returns out after almost ten minutes with two piping hot cups of hot chocolate, and sets them down on the kotatsu. He turns on the heat, and sprawls out his legs underneath it with a satisfied sigh.

“This isn’t so bad, though, is it?” he says, and just as he does, there’s another strong wind going by outside, and the sound once again startles Makoto.

“Y-you think?” Makoto says, and Rin smiles, pulling his boyfriend into his arms.

“So you’re saying you  _don’t_  feel at least a little safer in here with me? I’m hurt, Makoto.”

Makoto flinches. “Rin, that’s mean”, he whines. “I do. I just don’t like the sounds. It sounds like sad ghosts.”

Rin bursts out laughing for a good half minute, and then takes a deep breath to calm down, and then kisses his boyfriend on the top of his head. “Sad ghosts.  _God_ , I love you.”

Makoto lets out a noise of disapproval, but he stays in place, blowing on his mug before he takes a careful sip. “This is good. Thank you, Rin.”

“I can make pretty good hot chocolate, can’t I?”

“Yes, you can”, Makoto sighs, probably regretting complimenting Rin’s abilities to make something as simple as hot chocolate. (To be fair, Makoto can’t really make hot chocolate, so maybe it  _isn’t_  that simple.)

 

* * *

 

They sit and huddle under the kotatsu blanket while slowly emptying their mugs, and by the time they’re both done and have set them down, the wind has died out, and Rin sits Makoto up so he can go and take a look out the window.

“Holy fuck”, he whispers. “Makoto, I don’t think you can go home tonight.”

“Why?”

“There’s literally a meter and a half of snow out there. You couldn’t move a step even if you wanted to. And even if you  _could_ , I sure as hell wouldn’t let you go home. So. You’re staying with me tonight.”

He turns around to go sit by the kotatsu again, and Makoto’s actually  _blushing_. Rin frowns in confusion. “What?”

“Nothing”, Makoto says, and he smiles. “I’ll gladly stay the night.”

What Rin has for some reason forgotten is Makoto’s habit of putting his ice cold feet up against him when they’re in bed. And of course, tonight isn’t an exception.

“Makoto!” he hisses. “Stop  _doing_  that, I’m gonna get cold, too.”

“But you’re so warm”, Makoto complains. “Pretty please?”

“No!”

Still, Rin can’t really say he regrets having Makoto stay the night. For once, he’s glad they had a snowstorm tonight.


	100. SouHaru #50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: "Imagine that Person A isn’t normally the emotional type. One night, however, they show up at Person B’s place, eyes red from crying. Turns out they had a vivid nightmare about Person B dying, and they wanted to make sure their friend/crush/datefriend/whatever was okay. Person B is touched by this rare display of emotion from A, and they let A stay with them for the night."**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 100. SouHaru #50. 50% SouHaru. Can you believe this? I can't.

Sousuke’s glad he hadn’t been using earplugs that night, or he probably wouldn’t have heard his doorbell ring at three in the morning. And if he hadn’t heard it, Haruka wouldn’t be here in his bed right now. And who knows where else he would’ve gone in that state? Most definitely not back home, because that’s obviously the place he’d been trying to get away from. As for why, Sousuke still doesn’t know.

So he sits there with Haruka in his arms, gently patting him on the head and cradling Haruka’s head to his chest while the other cries. The fact that Haruka’s crying is a rarity in and of itself — hell, Sousuke doesn’t think he’s  _ever_  seen Haruka cry before. And he wonders just who or what caused this to happen, wondering if Haruka will actually tell him that.

Haruka hadn’t even said anything when he came over. All it took for Sousuke to take him in was to see him in that distressed state, and he barely even had to think before ushering Haruka into his apartment. No words were spoken between the two from the time Haruka came in, to the point where they’re at now, where Haruka’s still crying in Sousuke’s arms. His eyes are red as well as the skin around them, his nose is a dark tinge of pink, and this is the biggest mess Sousuke’s ever seen him in.

He doesn’t know what to do, really. With Rin, it doesn’t take a whole lot to calm him down when he’s crying — which is a lot. All Sousuke has to do is to reassure Rin that things will be fine, that he’s here, that Rin  _is_  capable of achieving his dream. All Rin really needs is support every now and then, and Sousuke is more than willing to give it to him.

But when it comes to having Haruka crying in his arms, Sousuke is beyond clueless. How would one calm Haruka down from something like this? Obviously, Haruka isn’t one to talk about his feelings, thoughts or problems, so maybe asking won’t do Sousuke any good. Even so, he won’t know until he’s tried.

“Haruka”, he says when most of the crying has subsided, and Haruka’s just sniffling and trying to breathe normally. “What happened?”

Haruka looks up at him, still teary-eyed, and he wipes away said tears with the back of his hand. “Nightmare.”

“Okay”, Sousuke says, waiting for Haruka to continue. He’s reminded of the time Haruka had talked about his nightmare he had in high school, and just how much it had disturbed him even days after. Back then, they obviously weren’t dating yet, and Sousuke wasn’t there to offer Haru the support he probably needed and hadn’t gotten even from his best friend.

“And you... you died”, Haruka says after a while, and he sniffles, closing his eyes. The images he saw in his dream must’ve been beyond terrifying, and while Sousuke can’t really put himself in Haruka’s shoes, he  _can_  imagine what such a nightmare would be like. And he’s pretty sure he’d be in a similar state if he’d have such a nightmare about Haruka, too.

Sousuke lets out a long sigh through his nose and tightens his embrace. “I know it might not help if I say this, but... it was just a nightmare. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah”, Haruka replies, mumbling, and Sousuke kisses him on the top of his head.

“Let’s go to sleep. I promise I’ll be here in the morning. Okay?”

Haruka reluctantly agrees, and Sousuke lets Haruka sleep with his head on Sousuke’s chest. It’s an additional way for Sousuke to prove, with his heartbeat, that he’s there. And maybe it’s naïve of him, but he hopes it’ll at least keep the nightmares away for Haruka, even if it’s just for tonight. Maybe one day, they’ll disappear for good, and that’s when Sousuke will know he can sleep peacefully, too.


	101. MakoRei #19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Stuck in an elevator after they've had an argument.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

The third day in a row that Makoto comes home to see that the recycling hasn’t been taken out like it was supposed to, something within him just  _snaps_. Right in half. He’s tired, he’s worked for twenty-four hours straight at the fire academy, and this is what he comes home to.

First time, Makoto didn’t mind it, just thought maybe Rei just forgot. Second time, he just sighed at it, reminded Rei again. Rei, of course, just said he was sorry, and that he promised to do it next time. Third time is right now, and the recycling bag is  _still_  standing right by their front door. Why does this have to be so difficult?

Rei doesn’t notice Makoto coming in at first, because his nose is buried in his textbook, and he’s pretty much shut the entire world out so he can concentrate on writing in peace. But then he hears footsteps behind him, and Rei turns around in the office chair, that squeaks a little with the motion.

“Makoto”, he says, smiling, as he gets up to greet his boyfriend. “Welcome home.”

“Right”, Makoto says dryly, and Rei literally stops mid-step and raises his eyebrows.

“Something wrong?” he asks.

“You remember I told you to take out the recycling two days ago? And then yesterday, and this morning by text since I haven’t been home since yesterday?”

Oh no. It dawns on Rei like a slow-motion punch to the face, and his stomach drops. He closes his eyes for a second, and then lets out a slow exhale.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to think of anything else. I’ll go do that right now, since I need a break, anyway.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll just do it, like I’m doing everything else around here. Or at least it feels like it”, Makoto says, and he turns around to walk out again. Rei knows where he’s going without having to ask, and of course, he just follows after.

Rei can see just how much Makoto’s on edge. There are dark rings under his eyes, and why wouldn’t there be? He’s been at work for twenty-four hours straight, and he’s probably just about to collapse due to fatigue. Rei hasn’t really been lazying around, either — since he’s been working on his thesis for several days in a row now. Of course, he hasn’t been as hard at work as Makoto’s been, and that’s why he feels bad about not even having done something as simple as taking out the recycling.

Makoto picks up the recycling bag, and he sighs. “I asked you to do this  _one_  thing, Rei, and you couldn’t do it?”

“I already told you I’m sorry”, Rei says with a frown Makoto can’t see anyway. He follows Makoto out into the hallway, puts his shoes on. He’s dead set on not just letting Makoto walk out of there without them resolving what’s most  _definitely_  going to turn into an ugly argument.

“Sorry doesn’t take the recycling out, Rei”, Makoto points out in a sour voice as he walks out the door. Rei follows him out into the hallway, and he doesn’t even lock the door after him as he hurries to follow Makoto to the lift.

“I can take care of it”, he says and attempts to reach for the bag when they’re waiting for the lift to reach their floor. Makoto pulls it away and sighs exasperatedly.

“So  _now_  you can do it, when I’m about to, but you couldn’t before?”

The lift arrives with a  _ding_ , and they both get in. Rei stands in front of Makoto, and he doesn’t break eye contact.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve been so immersed in writing and trying to finish my thesis that I just couldn’t remember even such a trivial thing as to put the recycling outside.”

“And you don’t think  _I’ve_  been busy for, oh, I don’t know — twenty-four hours straight?”

Rei sighs exasperatedly. “Would you let that  _go_  already? I know you’re working hard. And I’m sorry. I know I’m not the perfect boyfriend you wanted. I’m not  _Haruka-senpai_ , and I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t you  _dare_ bring Haru into this”, Makoto says, and Rei just rolls his eyes, because he’s honestly getting fed up with being scolded far too much for something such as not having taken out the recycling.

Okay, so maybe bringing up Haruka is an overused card by now, Rei has to admit. He guesses it still bothers him to some degree just how close those two are, and they still call it friendship. He’s jealous, because he’s always wanted to be that close to Makoto, too. And even if Makoto says they’re close, probably closer, but in a different way — Rei still struggles with believing it sometimes.

“Fine. Then stop treating me like I’m your younger sibling”, Rei bites back. “You’re literally yelling at me for not taking out the—”

The lift suddenly shakes rather violently, and the lights flicker. Then it just comes to an abrupt stop, and when Rei looks up, he sees that the number’s stuck on eight, and not the ground floor. They’ve only travelled down five floors? It sure feels like a lot more than that, given how long their argument seemed to have gone on for.

“—recycling”, Rei finishes in a lower voice. “What just happened?”

“As if I’d know”, Makoto scoffs, crossing his arms. “I don’t work with lifts, I’m a fire-fighter.”

Rei rolls his eyes, and presses the emergency button before he leans back against the wall with a sigh.

 

* * *

 

_Great_. Now he’s stuck in a lift with his grumpy, overworked, sleep-deprived boyfriend. A combination which Rei despises, and while he knows Makoto can’t help it, he still doesn’t want to be around for when this happens. Because as had just happened, he just  _knew_  he’d become Makoto’s verbal punching bag. He normally wouldn’t have minded if Makoto just wanted to vent to him, but when it comes to personal assaults, Rei is  _not_  okay with it.

So they stand in stubborn silence, both refusing to look at the other, while they’re waiting for help to come. Five minutes pass. Ten. Fifteen. Rei keeps looking at his wristwatch, and for each time, he gets more and more agitated.

When he presses the yellow emergency button for the third time, Makoto snorts at him.

“Like  _that’s_  gonna help”, he says dryly, and Rei glares at him.

“Well,  _sor-ry_  for wanting out of here someday”, Rei retorts. “I’m not going to die in a lift, and not before I’ve finished writing my thesis.”

Makoto doesn’t even bother responding, and the two fall into silence again. Rei feels like he’s going to go absolutely nuts with the tension between them, but he also knows it’ll probably dissipate come the next day, when Makoto’s actually gotten to sleep for a bit. He knows he isn’t at fault here besides not having taken out the recycling, but it also doesn’t have to go out until—

“I just realised something”, Makoto suddenly murmurs. “Recycling isn’t until Friday.”

Now  _Rei’s_  the one to snort and roll his eyes. “I know. You’re confusing rubbish with recycling.”

He counts down from five, and when he reaches one, Makoto speaks again.

“I’m sorry, Rei. I’m just... tired from work. And I took it out on you, which I obviously shouldn’t have. I... said some mean things, didn’t I?”

Rei  _tries_  to stay mad, but he can’t. Instead, he gives in, and just shakes his head. “It’s fine. I should’ve done as I was told to, as well, so I’m also at fault. I’m sorry.”

“No, you  _have_  been busy, too. And I get that you can forget things like these when your mind is set on one thing only. I know this thesis is important to you. As it should be. I’m just... sorry.”

And of  _course_  Rei can’t be mad. Makoto literally looks like a scolded puppy that’s been kicked out in the rain, and the sight makes Rei smile and shake his head. He walks up to his boyfriend and wraps his arms around him in an embrace.

“Thank you for that. I’m sorry, too.”

Makoto puts his forehead against Rei’s, and lets out a sigh. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Of course you do. Stop saying that.”

“Sorry.”

Rei can’t help but laugh, and he rubs their noses together before kissing his boyfriend.

“I honestly can’t believe we fought over something so silly as—”

The emergency hatch  _finally_  opens, and the two quickly get away from each other as if they’d gotten burnt.

“Hey! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for a while”, a voice tells them from above. “Got held up on the way here. This’ll just take a minute.”

The guy disappears, and Rei and Makoto look back at each other.

“—recycling”, they say in unison, and then Makoto laughs.


	102. SouHaru #51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Sousuke accidentally reflexively says "I love you, bye" when hanging up on a phone conversation with Haru and dies a little inside. (Bonus for Rin laughing his ass off at him)**
> 
> Asked by: [holdontoyourhulahoops](http://holdontoyourhulahoops.tumblr.com) ([AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/holdontoyourhulahoops))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ever so amazing Tumblr artist [buttleronduty](http://buttleronduty.tumblr.com) drew a comic of the beginning of this prompt, which you can find [here](http://buttleronduty.tumblr.com/post/131011292929). I still can't believe this, it's beyond perfection and I'm speechless. ❤

“Oi, Sousuke, your phone’s ringing.”

He’s on his way back from the bathroom when Rin calls out to him, and gives him his phone. Sousuke looks at the display, and can’t help but smile a little when he sees the name showing on said screen.

“Gross.”

Sousuke half-heartedly flips his best friend off when he answers the call, turning the other way.

“Haruka?”

“ _Hey. I’m on my way home. Are you there?_ ”

“Yeah. Rin’s here, too.”

“ _Okay. Don’t let him eat us out of the house. I’ll be home in ten_.”

Sousuke smiles to himself. “I won’t. See you soon.”

“ _Okay_.”

“Love you.”

Oh god. Oh no. Oh…  _fuck_.

“ _I… oh. I—_ ”

“It’s nothing! See you soon!” Sousuke says hurriedly, and then hangs up. It doesn’t take too long before a laughter bubbles up from Rin, and Sousuke wants to die from mortification. He puts his face in his hands and lets out a long groan, before sitting down on the couch. Rin comes to join him, and gives him a pat on the shoulder.

“I take it that was the first time you said it”, Rin says, traces of laughter still clinging to his voice. Sousuke doesn’t look up, and just keeps groaning and swearing internally.

“Yeah.”

“What, you don’t think Haru loves you?”

“I don’t know. We’ve just never said it. And maybe you shouldn’t say that on the phone so casually. Fuck.”

The weight on the couch shifts a little, and then Rin sighs. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure he loves you, too. Otherwise he wouldn’t still be sticking around.”

Sousuke gets up from the couch, fast, as if he’s just been bitten by something or sat on a needle. “We need to leave. Now. Like, right now. I can’t still be here when he comes back.”

“What? Wait, you’re saying you’re just  _escaping_? Are you  _that_  scared of confronting him?”

“I am! I don’t know how he’d react to a thing like that, and I don’t wanna know. If  _you’re_  not leaving, then please be my guest. I’m getting the fuck out, at least.”

Rin decides to be a good friend, and follow Sousuke out of the apartment. The two end up at a nearby coffee shop, where Sousuke orders coffee for the both of them (as thanks to Rin for him tagging along when Sousuke’s being a coward). They sit down by one of the window tables, and Sousuke lets out a sigh. Rin gives him a look with a raised eyebrow.

“So tell me why you’re so freaked about telling Haru you love him?”

Sousuke snorts. “Do  _you_  see Haruka as someone who tells people he loves them?”

“I don’t, but I didn’t really think you were like that, either, Sou. Neither of you two strike me as the lovey-dovey kind of people, yet here you are. In a relationship,  _living together_ , even. I’m surprised you’ve never actually said it.”

He glares down into his mug, chews on the inside of his cheek for a few seconds. “I’m not really like that, I suppose. Well, I  _wasn’t_.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “Are you gonna tell me something stupid like ‘Haruka changed me’? Because if that’s the case, you’re more of a romantic sap than I am. Not even I would say that about Makoto, and I can admit to loving him.”

“You guys are different. Like a gross, married couple. You’ve been together for  _ages_ , and you were originally childhood friends. Haruka and I… got off on the wrong foot. Because I was an ass.”

“Not that I don’t agree with that last part”, Rin says whilst stirring his coffee absent-mindedly, “but what does that have to do with anything? I mean, your history with him. So what, yes — you guys got a weird start to things, but you still managed to get here in the end? That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Sousuke relaxes his shoulders and exhales through his nose. “But still. I don’t know if he loves me, because neither of us are—”

“—good with words. Yeah, I’ve noticed. Maybe Haru just doesn’t feel like you guys need to say it, and you’re a slow fuck who doesn’t  _notice_  that he loves you? I don’t think there’s a reason for him  _not_  to love you after all you’ve been through. Stop freaking out, Sou, this isn’t like you. Like, at all. I’m starting to wonder if you’ve got a fever or something.”

Okay, so maybe this whole non-verbal communication thing he and Haruka’s always had is starting to  _not_  work in some cases. Because Sousuke has no idea whether Haruka loves him or not. They’re not typically ones to show affection, so how  _would_  he know? Sure, they’re far more affectionate towards each other when it’s just the two of them, but even then, Sousuke wouldn’t know.

His phone starts ringing on the table in front of him, and Sousuke flinches, accidentally bumping his coffee mug a little in doing so, but thankfully not spilling anything. Rin gives him a look again.

“It’s Haru, isn’t it? Just answer, jeez. Stop being a fucking baby.”

“Thanks for the support”, Sousuke mumbles, and Rin just smiles at him. He sighs, and picks up the phone. “Haruka?”

“ _Hey, I thought you said you were home?_ ”

God, he feels childish. Running away from home in order to avoid, or at least postpone, a confrontation. Why did he lecture Haruka way back when about not doing what  _he’s_  doing right now? Rin was right, he  _is_  scared of confrontation with Haruka, at least with this issue; because what if Haruka  _doesn’t_  love him? What if he just wanted things to stay the way they were? Haruka isn’t big on changes, and this would most  _certainly_  change things between them.

“I… we went out for a bit. I’ll be home soon, though, promise.”

“ _Okay. Did something happen?”_

“No, no — everything’s fine”, he lies. “See you soon.”

And this time, he manages to keep himself from saying it again.

“I should head back”, he mutters before emptying his coffee mug. “And no, I won’t run away again.”

Rin hums in approval before standing up from his chair, stretching his upper body. “Good. It’ll be fine, Sou. I bet you he’s going to call you an idiot for thinking he  _doesn’t_  love you.”

Sousuke rolls his eyes and gets up as well. “Yeah, sure. So, listen… thanks, Rin. For putting up with me.”

“You should consider yourself lucky to have me”, Rin says in a teasing voice, and Sousuke glares daggers at him before they leave, and eventually go their separate ways.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke comes back to the house, and sighs before he opens the door. He says his usual greeting upon walking inside, and Haruka, of course, welcomes him home.

“Where’d you go off to?” Haruka asks, and Sousuke mentally prepares himself for what might and might  _not_  come next. He walks inside and sits down on the couch, making sure to leave a  _little_  room between him and his boyfriend. He clears his throat, looks down at his hands.

“Went out for a bit with Rin.”

Haruka hums, sounding almost suspicious, and Sousuke’s heart races in his chest. He should’ve just stayed at home. Waited for Haruka to come back, had Rin leave, and then take the talk directly. Instead of running off like an idiot, and coming back home with his tail between his legs like a scolded dog.

“Something wrong? You’re acting weird.”

Sousuke huffs impatiently, and glares up at Haruka. “You’re just  _not_  gonna comment on what I blurted out on the phone earlier, are you? Are we gonna pretend like it didn’t happen?”

Haruka looks at him with a puzzled frown. “I thought that’s what  _you_  wanted to do. Since you said it ‘was nothing’ before you hung up. You didn’t even let me finish talking.”

"I didn’t?”

“No. Because you were in such a hurry to hang up and leave the house before I got back.”

Now Sousuke  _really_  feels like a scolded dog, complete with downcast eyes, and metaphorically drooping ears. All that’s missing is the typical dog whining, and he’s there. Of course, he isn’t going to actually  _do_  such a thing, so he just keeps it internalised instead.

“Oh”, he replies. “Sorry. What were you going to say, then?”

Haruka actually  _laughs_  a little, and shakes his head. “That I love you, too. I didn’t know it meant that much to you that we said it out loud, so I never did. I’m sorry.”

Sousuke’s eyes widen in surprise, and he automatically leans forward in his weird state of surprise and odd sense of eagerness. “Wait. Really? You do?”

“Of course I do, idiot. Why else do you think I’ve stuck with you for so long?”

Sousuke frowns. “Thanks.”

“I’m serious. I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t love you. Honestly, you’re an idiot for thinking I  _didn’t_.”

Okay, so not only is Rin scarily accurate in guessing what Haruka would say in situations like these, but Sousuke’s also really glad he never made it into a bet, because he would’ve obviously lost. He pouts, and looks down.

“Well, what about you, then? Did  _you_  know I love you?”

“Yeah.”

“What?!”

“You’re obvious, Sousuke”, Haruka says, stifling yet another laugh. This little shit’s having the time of his life at Sousuke’s expense, and it isn’t anything out of the ordinary. “It’s written all over your face, in everything you do. There’s no way I  _wouldn’t_  know.”

“So you’re saying I’m shit at reading people?”

“I am. But you can get better. It takes time, really.”

Sousuke snorts, but he can’t help but smile. “Thanks. Love you, too.”

“I know.”


	103. SouHaru #52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Continuation of**[chapter 98](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/11334058).
> 
> Suggested by: [iskabee](http://iskabee.tumblr.com) ([AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ishka)).

Haruka narrows his eyes in hostility when he returns from his bath, and Sousuke’s  _still_  on the phone with Rin. Apparently,  _someone_  didn’t learn their lesson from last time. Well, it’s only fair if Haruka were to teach it to him this time, then. And make him not forget it, either.

He walks past Sousuke into the hallway, and dries his hair off with the towel he’s had hanging around his neck. Discards it in the laundry bin, and returns to the living room to sit down next to his boyfriend. Haruka just wants to see if Sousuke can take a hint, if he remembers how things went last time he did this.

“... she keeps yelling at me to tell you to be a better brother. That’s really fucking bad, Rin. You’ve always been like that, and I can’t believe you haven’t gotten better at this yet. And how  _she_  hasn’t gotten tired of you.”

Haruka holds back a snort. He can’t really relate to Rin’s situation since he’s an only child, but he has to agree with Sousuke that it’s bad. He hasn’t hung out with Gou  _too_  much outside of swim practice, and that entire thing ended years ago. But he knows she only means well, even if she can come off as abrasive at times. If there’s anyone who looks up to Rin, it’s Gou.

Sousuke leans against the back of the couch, and lets out a sigh. Haruka, on the other hand, decides to tune him out, and instead work on his plan to get Sousuke off the goddamn phone. Again. And this time, there’ll be no mercy, because Haruka went down that road before, and that certainly didn’t work in his favour.

Of course, Sousuke doesn’t even  _notice_ him at first. Keeps talking, doesn’t pay attention to the world around him. It’s perfect for Haruka, since it gives him many options to work with. He decides on starting out the way he did last time. Straddles his boyfriend, starts kissing him down his neck, pulling at Sousuke’s shirt a little to reveal the skin by his collarbones, kisses him there as well.

By now, Sousuke’s most  _definitely_  noticed him, and he knows what Haruka’s doing. But that idiot just  _keeps talking on the phone_. Haruka’s nearly fuming at this point, and any previous thoughts about maybe not being  _too_  harsh on his boyfriend fly out the window. Sousuke’s gotten his last chance.

Haruka moves his hands down, one hand hooking at the waistband of Sousuke’s sweatpants, and the other staying at Sousuke’s hip. Sousuke looks at him with a microsecond of surprise flashing across his face, but then he just  _smirks_. Who  _does_  that?  _So that’s his game_ , Haruka thinks. Fine. He can play dirty, too.

 _Don’t dare me, Sousuke_.

He lets his hand move inside Sousuke’s sweatpants, and even though Sousuke’s still soft, Haruka knows it won’t take much to get him erect. One day, Haruka plans on going Pavlov on his boyfriend, really, if anything just because it’d be absolutely hilarious. Sure, he doesn’t have a bell or anything, and he definitely doesn’t want to make Sousuke  _drool_ , but the thought of making him get hard by just a certain word being uttered is very tempting.

Haruka strokes Sousuke slowly; not ticklish-kind of slow, but slow enough to soon evoke a reaction to his liking. He bites back a satisfied smile, and moves down when Sousuke’s gotten half-hard in his hand. Moving Sousuke’s sweats and boxers down, he hovers for a bit, deliberately breathing  _really_  close to Sousuke’s dick. Sousuke, of course, pretends like he isn’t even there.

So naturally, Haruka steps up his game. Sousuke’s going to eventually  _have_  to hang up. He’s going to lose this weird game of chicken Haruka’s instigated, even if it literally means Haruka has to literally get on his knees. He sure as hell isn’t going to beg, however.

Haruka licks up Sousuke’s length, lets his lips ghost over the tip. Sousuke's breath hitches, but he’s just listening to Rin ramble, anyway, so Rin probably doesn’t even notice. At least the beginning’s looking pretty promising. Haruka feels a little more confident, and he slowly covers Sousuke’s tip with his lips, licks at it carefully with his tongue as he almost painfully slowly takes Sousuke in.

And that’s when Sousuke sucks in a sharp breath. Haruka glances up to try and see if there’s a reaction. Sousuke looks down at him, and  _smirks_. Thinks this is funny, that grade A asshole. Apparently Haruka  _still_  isn’t doing a good enough job to make Sousuke hang up, so he takes Sousuke’s cock out of his mouth and gets up from the floor. Doesn’t pull Sousuke’s boxers and sweats back up. Sousuke seems to think it’s all over judging by the look on his face Haruka sees before he exits the living room, but he’s  _oh_  so wrong in that assumption of his.

 

* * *

 

Haruka quickly makes his way upstairs to their bedroom. If he takes too long, Sousuke’s going to go soft, and he’ll have to start over. And Sousuke will have  _plenty_  of time to keep talking to Rin before he gets hard again, and before Haruka makes him come. He’s going to make sure it happens, and the bottle of lube Haruka retrieves from his night-stand drawer is going to be of great help.

He returns into the bedroom probably not even two minutes later, and Sousuke mock-welcomes him back with that disgusting smile and look of his. Haruka doesn’t even acknowledge him as he sits down on his knees in front of Sousuke again. That’s when he pulls the bottle of lube out of the pocket on his own sweatpants, and notices how literally  _everything_  changes about Sousuke in that tiny action.

“What? Er, no. Nothing. I’m fine. You were saying?”

Oh, he’s wavering. Rin’s starting to notice. This might just become the best day of Haruka’s life so far, if only he plays his cards right.

Haruka inches closer to Sousuke again. He pulls Sousuke’s sweatpants further down, and then prompts for him to scoot up and lean back a little for Haruka to be able to reach better. And of course, Sousuke does as he’s told. He really  _is_  intent on winning this, isn’t he?

So Haruka slicks his fingers with a rather generous amount of lube, before he takes Sousuke into his mouth again without a single shred of hesitation. Sousuke once again just reacts by a slight change in his breathing, but that obviously doesn’t discourage the guy sucking him off, who’s also about to finger him in order to reach his goal. To win this stupid game, basically, and to have Sousuke learn his lesson.

He works his index finger slowly inside Sousuke whilst continuing to suck down hard on his cock, which has already started leaking pre-cum against the roof of Haruka’s mouth. He notices how Sousuke’s gripping onto the side of the couch with more force than would be considered normal — this has to be his technique to cope and not moan like he usually does. Clever idiot. His breathing’s started to get more erratic, however, and it won’t take long for Rin to comment on it now; Haruka just  _knows_  it.

“ _... so do you think you guys could come over for dinner next Friday, then?_ ” Haruka hears Rin say, and he realises Sousuke’s put him on speaker phone. Oh, the nerve. Well, luckily Haruka’s not going to be the one making most noise out of the two, seeing as he isn’t the one getting fingered  _and_  getting a blowjob at the same time. Honestly, Sousuke should consider himself lucky to have a boyfriend like Haruka who would even think of doing something like this.

Even if it’s just a way for Haruka to get Sousuke’s attention. Still, it’s gotta count for something, right?

“I... yeah, I... think we— _ah_ , can make it”, Sousuke says, and Haruka holds back a snort.

“ _Oi, Sou, you sound kinda out of breath. Haru sucking you off or something?_ ” Haruka hears from Rin, and he smiles around the dick he has in his mouth. Sousuke reacts by flinching so violently he involuntarily thrusts upward, and Haruka’s teeth sink into his flesh. Worst poker face  _ever_.

“ _Fuck_!” Sousuke yells, and Haruka takes his mouth off of Sousuke’s cock for a second. Instead of looking apologetic, the little fucker just glares up at Sousuke, and Sousuke glares back. Is hell-bent on continuing his conversation with Rin, because he isn’t done yet.

“ _The hell’s going on?_ ”

Sousuke clears his throat, sits back down, and Haruka returns to doing what he did before, as if he  _hadn’t_  just bitten his boyfriend’s cock due to him overreacting and flinching like there’d been an explosion or something. “Nothing. Stubbed my fucking toe.”

“ _Okay_ ”, Rin says, but he doesn’t sound convinced. Haruka knows it can’t be too long now before Rin puts two and two together to figure out what’s  _really_  going on on the other end of the line.

Haruka speeds up his pace, knowing Sousuke’s getting close. If anything, it’s pretty hilarious listening to Sousuke trying to keep a normal conversation with his best friend, while his boyfriend works on giving him an orgasm with both his mouth and fingers at the same time. If Sousuke gave  _him_  this kind of treatment, Haruka would think it was a way for Sousuke to compensate for having missed his birthday, and lumping it all together with Christmas. Not that it’s ever happened before, but it feels like something Sousuke would do to try and make up for such a mistake.

Every now and then, Haruka has to stop for a second to swallow the pre-cum gathering in his mouth. It won’t take him long now, he knows it, because Sousuke’s began thrusting his hips up, and he’s trying  _so hard_  to not let Rin know what’s going on.

But then it comes. Like lightning from a clear blue sky.

“Rin, I’m— _ah—_ gonna have to c-call you— _shit_ —back. Y-yeah I’m okay.”

Haruka’s smile widens, and he listens to Sousuke finally,  _finally,_ finishing his phone call.When he puts his phone down, Haruka gets up from the floor, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and puts the little bottle of lube back into his pocket.

Mission accomplished.

... or so he thinks. He’s just about to leave the living room when Sousuke pulls him back and sets his ass right back down on the couch. His cheeks are flushed and eyes slightly glazed over, but Sousuke still manages to look determined.

“You win. And I’ve learnt my lesson to not talk to him for hours when you’re at home. Happy?”

“Happy”, Haruka confirms with a satisfied grin. Sousuke sits down on the floor in front of him, and Haruka flinches. “What are you doing?”

“Payback, you little shit.”

 _Well, happy Christmas and birthday to me, then_ , Haruka thinks, and lets Sousuke return the favour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Author's note](http://i.imgur.com/KLdguRh.png).


	104. SouHaru #53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: the[last prompt](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/131162871082) you reblogged, pls write a souharu one**
> 
> [Imagine person A saying "eat my entire ass", and person B says "don't tempt me".]
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BoD did it again. On their NSFW blog, they drew art based on this fic, which you can find [here](http://honmoooo.tumblr.com/post/131227230548/i-would-like-to-personally-thank-popnographic). I'm still very much speechless and excited about this. Hell yeah.

“ _Haruka!_ Get the fuck out of there right now or I’m kicking the door in.”

Sousuke bangs violently on the door to the bathroom, and Haruka sinks down into the water with a sigh, closing his eyes. Sousuke had all day to go take a shower, why does he so desperately need it  _now_? He can afford to wait.

“What’s the hurry? I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

“We both know that’s not true, Haruka.”

Haruka sighs. “Twenty, at most.”

“Oh my  _god_ , you’re such an insufferable fucking idiot.”

“Then why’re you dating me in the first place?”

He snickers when he hears Sousuke sigh exasperatedly. “Eat my entire ass, Nanase.”

“Don’t tempt me”, he calls back, and then he hears Sousuke walk away from his spot by the bathroom door. Haruka closes his eyes again, still smiling, and lets himself enjoy his bath. For twenty more minutes.

* * *

 

When he comes out of the bathroom, Sousuke nearly crashes into him as he hurries past Haruka inside. He snorts and walks back upstairs to get dressed, and then lies down on his bed, leaning against the headboard. He scrolls though his messages on his phone — Makoto’s sent him photos of cats he saw on his run earlier that day,  _again —_ and when he gets bored of it just as quickly as he’d taken his phone out, Haruka puts it down again.  _How_  people are so obsessed with their phones is beyond him.

Sousuke never takes too long in the bathroom, even when he takes a shower. He isn’t much of a bath kind of person unless Haruka manages to convince Sousuke to join him in the bath every now and then, so in reality, he  _should_  be the one to take the bathroom first. Not that it stops Haruka from trying to get in there before him, though.

The grumpy giant returns after less than ten minutes, and he greets Haruka with a glare as he comes back up. “You didn’t even consider the fact that maybe I’d want to take a piss while you were in there taking your sweet time playing with your dolphin?”

Haruka frowns. “I wasn’t playing with the dolphin. I was enjoying taking a bath.”

“That’s not the point. My hair was  _wavy_  by the point I got to finally pee, that’s how badly I needed to go.”

Haruka bites back a laugh. “Sorry.”

Sousuke clicks his tongue and walks over to the dresser. “Sure you are.”

When he’s got his back turned, Haruka gets up and pulls Sousuke towards him.

“Oi, what the fuck?”

“Bed.”

“What—”

He pulls Sousuke down onto the bed so that he’s lying face down, and then Sousuke grunts.

“—the  _hell_  are you doing?” comes Sousuke’s muffled voice from the duvet. Haruka peels the towel off of Sousuke’s lower half, and when he puts his hands on Sousuke’s sides, his boyfriend flinches. “Wait.”

“I said ‘don’t tempt me’”, Haruka says simply, and gets on his knees. Spreads Sousuke’s legs, and then his asscheeks. Of course, he’s way ahead of Sousuke when the other’s trying to squirm away, and holds him down as soon a Sousuke begins moving about.

He leans forward, and lets his tongue run along the ring muscles of Sousuke’s hole, and when Sousuke lets out a whining noise, he knows Sousuke’s pretty much given up on any attempts of getting away. At this point, he probably doesn’t even  _want_  to get away, and that just works in Haruka’s favour.

Sousuke shifts a bit to make it easier for Haruka, and he lets out a long, almost relieved, groan when Haruka flits his tongue inside, but then quickly retracting.

“Don’t you dare fucking tease me if you’ve decided on doing this, Haruka”, Sousuke says, voice still muffled by the duvet. Haruka hums, considering it, but then decides against it. There’s a certain amount of how much he can be a dick to his boyfriend in one day, and he’s pretty sure he’s reaching the limit already.

“Fine”, he says instead, and then goes back to what he’d just started. His hands grab onto one asscheek each, and he gently massages them whilst working his tongue inside of Sousuke’s ass. He doesn’t really taste like anything, but that’s obviously because he just had a shower. Almost feels like Sousuke had been  _expecting_  it, with as thorough with his cleaning as he seems to have been.

"Oh my  _god_ ”, Sousuke exclaims, his face now lifted from the mattress. Haruka can’t help but smile even though his face’s literally squished in between two asscheeks. He lets his tongue dip in deeper, listens to how Sousuke reacts, absolutely  _loves_  it. Haruka doesn’t get to do this very often since Sousuke insists on taking care of  _him_. Sure, this isn’t really Haruka ‘taking care of’ Sousuke, it’s just him showing Sousuke that he’s not one to fool around with. Not one to be dared.

Sousuke comes with a rather loud shout while gripping onto the sheets for his dear life, and Haruka sits back up to stretch his upper body.

“Well, time to change the sheets again”, he says as he gets up from the floor. He looks back at Sousuke who glares daggers at him.

“And whose fucking fault is  _that_?”

“Yours. You told me to eat your ass, so I did. Own up to it, Yamazaki.”

* * *

 

Sousuke  _does_  end up being the one to change their sheets later that night.


	105. SouHaru #54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: During sex, Haru faints right after reaching his climax and Sousuke's freaking out because he's afraid he might've been too rough. Later on Haru reveals he hasn't eaten much all day and that Sousuke isn't to blame. Haru was more horny than hungry apparently?**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com) ( [AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/baenase))

He should’ve seen it coming. Sure, Haruka had been very adamant on wanting to have sex, but there was just something  _off_  about him from the very start. Actually, pretty much since Sousuke walked in through the door that evening, coming home from work. He’d just seemed like he had less energy in him than usual, and that’s scary when it’s about someone who’s all about energy conserving.

To say that Sousuke’s in a state of panic right now is a  _vast_  understatement. He’s scared, he’s almost one hundred per cent sure he’s the cause behind this, and he knows that if someone finds out, he’s going to be in  _so_  much trouble. Sousuke shivers when thinking about how Tachibana would react; such a confrontation is one he definitely doesn’t want to have to face.

But how the  _fuck_  is he supposed to deal with a passed out boyfriend on their bed post-sex?!

"Haruka?! Haruka, come on, wake up”, he says, gently shaking Haruka’s shoulders. It takes a few seconds, but then Haruka  _does_  come back to consciousness, and he blinks up, slightly bleary-eyed, at Sousuke.

“Oh”, he says, “hey. I... guess I passed out.”

“You guess?!” Sousuke almost yells. “The  _hell_ , Haruka, I was scared to death!”

Haruka frowns. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are  _you_  sorry? This was my fault. I was too rough, wasn’t I? I knew I should’ve taken things slower, been more gentle—”

“Sousuke”, Haruka interrupts, putting a hand on Sousuke’s arm. “It wasn’t your fault. Really, it  _was_  mine.”

Sousuke looks at his boyfriend, perplexed. “What are you even talking about? You didn’t really do anything that would cause you to pass the fuck out after sex.”

Haruka shakes his head. “I want to eat something. I’ll tell you while we’re eating, okay? We haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“But—”

“—food”, Haruka says determinedly, and all Sousuke can do is comply. The two of them clean up, and then go out into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Since they’re cooking together, it doesn’t take very long, and they’re soon seated with a plate each of piping hot food.

Haruka’s quick to dig in, and thus further delaying the explanation of him suddenly fainting after sex. Sousuke taps impatiently on the table with the tip of his finger, not being able to concentrate on eating, and he just waits until Haruka starts talking.

“So”, Haruka finally says after a while. “I passed out because I was hungry.”

Sousuke wonders if this is where he’s supposed to laugh. He doesn’t. “What?”

“I hadn’t eaten in all day. Work has crappy sandwiches, and I didn’t have time to go anywhere else to eat.”

“So why the hell did you want to have sex? You know that’s kind of like a workout, right?”

Haruka looks down at his plate, and suddenly he’s  _blushing_. Honestly, Sousuke just doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore.

“Because I wanted to. Food can come later.”

“Sex can come later, too, you idiot!” Sousuke says. “God, I can’t believe you sometimes. Here I thought I’d been too rough with you or something.”

“And I said I’m sorry”, Haruka replies, pouting. “I’m sorry, okay? I won’t do it again.”

“Damn right you aren’t. I’m gonna make sure you’ve had something to eat before we have sex from now on.”

Haruka snorts. “You can’t do that  _every_  time.”

“Oh, I can”, Sousuke fires back. “And I’m going to. Now eat, before I force-feed you. Stop being a fucking petulant  _child_ , just eat a stupid sandwich from work instead of going hungry, that’s dumb. You  _really_  need to sort out your priorities. Sex is great, sure, but food should always come first.”

“Fine,  _Dad_.”

“Fuck you”, Sousuke growls, and Haruka just grins at him.  _How_  Sousuke’s managed to live with him for long is a mystery, really.


	106. SouHaru #55 (+Gou!!!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: gou having lunch w sh where they rant to each other ((like gou w two gay best friends i guess))**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (chants) souharugou! souharugou!

“… not my fault your stupid apartment’s cold”, Haruka argues

“But it’s your fault when you put your cold fucking feet up against me when we sleep.  _That’s_  why you ended up on the floor, jackass.”

Gou sighs and frowns, pinching the bridge of her nose. Yes, Rin warned her when those two got together that they’d be a handful. (Maybe that’s why people have two hands.) Did she listen to her brother’s warning? Of course she didn’t. Who listens to their older siblings, anyway?

“You two bicker like you’ve been married  _forever_ ”, she complains, and both of them send glares in her direction. She snorts.

“Hey,  _he_  kicked me down onto the floor”, Haruka defends himself. “And we’re not married.”

“And  _you_  sound like you’re five years old, Haruka”, Gou counters, and Sousuke snickers, but then Gou gives  _him_  a glare, too. “You’re not that much better. Honestly, I don’t know why I hang out with you two.”

“Because you love us”, Sousuke simply says, and frustratingly enough, he isn’t lying. Sure, she’s glad they managed to get past all of those grudges they held against each other since they were literally kids — but some days, they truly are—

“From here on out, you’re sleeping with socks on, though”, Sousuke says, matter-of-factly, and Haruka sniffs.

“Socks are icky in bed.”

—a handful. Gou screams internally for a few seconds with her eyes closed, before she takes a sip of her wine. A  _large_  sip. Her goal is to get so drunk she’ll need Sousuke to carry her home, and it isn’t even two in the afternoon yet. Not that she cares; it’s a Saturday, she doesn’t have to work until Monday, and this is all she has on the schedule today, anyway. To hang out with Sousuke and Haruka, also known as probably the worst couple in all of Iwatobi. She’s pretty sure she could extend that to at least the five closest prefectures as well.

The cold feet argument finally dissipates when they’ve grown bored of it, and the three of them can continue on with their lunch peacefully. Well,  _somewhat_  peacefully; Sousuke catches onto Gou’s plan of trying to get herself drunk early, and he orders himself more beer as a result.

And so the two of them kind of drink a little more than what would be considered usual for lunch, and Haruka just sits there with them, sipping from his mojito at a normal pace. Like a reasonable human being whose goal  _isn’t_  to get drunk before two in the afternoon.

“You know”, Sousuke says, “it’s kinda funny how similar you and Rin are, but at the same time, you couldn’t be more different.”

Gou raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know how to take that.”

“It’s a compliment”, Sousuke says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You know how he can be. A crybaby, a pain in the fucking ass, etcetera. You inherited the good genes, he didn’t get so lucky.”

This time, Gou laughs. “Well,  _that_  I can take as a compliment. But he isn’t so bad, he has his good moments.”

“Literally moments”, Haruka mutters, and Sousuke motions for him to give a high five. Astoundingly enough, Haruka does, and Gou just shakes her head, still smiling. They haven’t really stopped arguing since way back when, but their arguments have instead turned into these silly things that shouldn’t even be  _called_  arguments. Gou guesses it just shows how much they love each other.

Yes, they’re a handful, but she loves them nevertheless.


	107. SouHaru #56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: okay but I don't know if you've heard of[shipyourenemiesglitter.com](shipyourenemiesglitter.com) but imagine Haru sending Sousuke this after Sousuke offended him (or just because Haru loves to troll him)**
> 
> Asked by [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com) ([AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Baenase)).

It begins when Sousuke gets an honestly pretty inconspicuous package on his birthday, left on his doorstep since he was too slow to get to the door in time to meet the delivery guy. Rin’s there with him, as well as Gou, the latter having cooked his birthday dinner. Which, of course, he’d protested, but she told him to just let her do what she does best. Bossing people around. He’d snorted at that.

Sousuke takes the package inside, and when he opens it, there’s a card on top. Again, pretty inconspicuous, and Sousuke doesn’t think much of it. When he opens said card, there’s a little message on it that says “happy birthday forever”, which in and of itself it kind of ominous. But then there’s a button that says “press”. And of course he presses it.

The message certainly hadn’t been lying, because the melody that plays… plays over, and over, and over. Happy birthday forever indeed.

“Turn that shit off!” Rin says when it starts over for the fourth time. Sousuke’s already tried closing and opening the card several times, but it just won’t shut the fuck up, and he’s very quickly growing annoyed with this thing. He has yet to find out who sent him this abomination of a ‘birthday gift’, and there isn’t a sender mentioned either on the package or in the card.

“I’m trying to!” he barks back, and then he just gets so annoyed with the entire thing that he decides to go into the kitchen to get a pair of scissors. Something  _obviously_  has to be done, and since simply closing the card won’t do, he’ll have to cut the cord to the thing inside and put an end to their misery.

Thankfully, that  _does_  stop the incessant nagging of the happy birthday song (which he doesn’t want to hear again for the rest of his life), and he breathes out a sigh of relief. When he returns to the living room, both Rin and Gou are giggling at something inside of the package he hadn’t even bothered to look further inside after having opened his card.

“Sou, you… you have to see this,” Rin wheezes, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “This is amazing.”

“Well, duh — of  _course_  I’m gonna see it, it’s my gift,” he says with a roll of his eyes and sits down. And when he looks down into the box, he sees a set of three lollipops formed as roosters.

“Get it?  _Cocksuckers,_ ” Rin says, and then he’s howling with laughter. Sousuke feels his eye twitch at the sight, and he’s just even more puzzled over who the hell sent him these.

“I’m guessing neither of you sent this package,” he says. Gou snorts.

“ _God_  no. Whoever did this has a pretty good sense of humour, though.”

“Terrible, you mean.”

He ends up throwing the entire package in the bin, not feeling the least bit sorry about it since he doesn’t even know who it came from.

 

* * *

 

The next time he receives a package from a mystery sender, it’s Christmas. He usually doesn’t celebrate Christmas—because who  _does_? _—_ so to receive a gift on Christmas in the first place is odd. Sousuke frowns a little, slightly hesitating to open the package. Is it another pack of those cock-suckers? Would they do the same thing again? Who even  _sends_  him these things to begin with?

It’s a pretty small box, like last time, and when he opens it, there isn’t a card like the one he got in September, but there’s a little note inside, still. He picks it up, and reads “ _peace offering_ ” on it. There’s only one person he’s in some kind of war with, and that’s Nanase. So does that mean this is from him, and this is  _his_  peace offering? Still, he can’t be too sure, but he doesn’t know who else would send him this, attached with such a note.

Below the note lies a little red box with hearts all over it, that he opens to reveal what looks like a chocolate cupcake. So far it looks pretty innocent, at least compared to those fucking cock-suckers he got last time. So maybe it really  _is_  a peace offering. And since Sousuke’s so weak to chocolate, he doesn’t hesitate before biting into it.

It isn’t chocolate.

Sousuke drops the cupcake down into the box and stumbles across the hallway into the bathroom where he spits out the bite into the toilet, and then proceeds to brush his teeth. Whatever that was, it was as far from chocolate as one could come. He really should learn to  _smell_  things before eating, especially if he suspects them coming from  _Nanase_.

No, this  _has_  to be from him. There literally isn’t anyone else he knows who would do this to him, and not just once, but  _twice_. Sousuke gathers himself, and then gets out of his apartment, heading straight for Nanase’s house. It’s a good thing he has a car, or it’d take him a lot longer, and the chance of him missing Nanase would be bigger.

He arrives outside Nanase’s house about ten minutes later, and then marches up the steps to it with his blood boiling in his veins despite the biting cold of winter. Only now does he realise he should’ve brought the cupcake with him to shove in Nanase’s mouth, to get him to taste some of his own ‘medicine’. Oh well.

Sousuke rings the doorbell twice, and after a few seconds, he gives it a hard rap to get the idiot to hurry the fuck up. Soon enough, Nanase opens the door, and Sousuke glares him down, towering over him.

“You... sent me those packages, didn’t you?”

Nanase gives him that trademark deadpan of his. “What are you talking about?”

“The one in September with those fucking cock-suckers! The one I got just now as a ‘peace offering’ with a fucking cupcake that tasted like literal shit! Don’t tell me this  _wasn’t_  you, I don’t know anyone else who would do this.”

It doesn’t take long for the corners of Nanase’s mouth to twitch, and then he’s full-out laughing. Something Sousuke’s never seen or heard before, and he hates just how much he actually  _likes_  Nanase’s laugh, even considering the reason as to  _why_  he’s laughing in the first place.

“You  _ate_  it?”

“So it  _was_  you!”

Nanase calms himself down a bit, but when he speaks again, it’s evident he has a hard time holding back his laughter. “Yes. It was Nagisa’s idea, blame him. That cupcake had horse manure batter in it.”

Sousuke feels bile gather in his throat, and he swallows thickly to  _not_  throw up all over Nanase, no matter how tempting that’d be. “Horse... manure,” he echoes, and Nanase nods, his lips still twitching.

“I can’t believe you ate that.”

“You little  _fucker_ ,” Sousuke growls, inching closer to Nanase, who doesn’t budge. “I’m going to get you back for this, just you wait. And Hazuki. Send him my regards, and tell him to sleep with one eye open from now on.”

“Sure,” Nanase replies, but he doesn’t seem like he’s taking the threat very seriously. Sousuke’s going to make sure he’ll regret that choice of his. One day. Maybe not the same way Nanase had done it, but he’ll think of something probably ten times worse.

All he needs to make sure is that no one else finds out about him actually having taken a bite out of that stupid cupcake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](https://shipyourenemiesglitter.com/) is the website, and [this](https://shipyourenemiesglitter.com/product/The-Do-Not-Eat-Cupcake-39) is the cupcake Sousuke got. Yum... ugh. Poor kid.


	108. MakoRin #28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makorin having a fight bc Rin is being very secretive about his whereabouts and Makoto's scared he might sleep w/ someone else, until Rin blurts "marry me". He's been working longer to buy the ring**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

**Rin <3**:  _Might not be at home when you get back. I’ll compensate by making dinner tomorrow, promise. Love you!_

 

Makoto feels his eye twitch, and he takes a deep breath as to not break his phone in his hand. There’s  _something_  Rin’s hiding from him, but Makoto doesn’t know just what it is. And it’s almost getting to the boiling point now, where Makoto just can’t leave things as they are. He has to do something about it.

Since Makoto can’t really cook super fancy dishes, all he makes for himself and Rin that evening is a simple tofu soup, rice, and omelette. He’s getting better, sure, but he still isn’t even to the point where he knows how to cook chicken without making it charcoal on the outside and raw on the inside.

When he’s just about to start eating in front of a TV he isn’t even paying attention to, the front door swings open, and Rin comes in. He seems a little out of breath, but that isn’t the biggest of Makoto’s concerns. He can’t help but raise an eyebrow in disapproval when Rin walks inside and plants a kiss on the top of his head.

“Sorry I came back so late,” he says. “Oh man, this is so weird—I was  _just_  thinking about tofu earlier today. Been having too much meat lately, so I figured something like this would be nice. We must have some kind of telepathic link, don’t you think?”

He finishes with a grin, but Makoto isn’t amused.

“Maybe,” he says, and then returns his attention to the TV, now suddenly  _very_  interested in an infomercial on vacuum cleaners.

“Something wrong, Makoto?” Rin asks, and sits down next to him, instead of by one of the corners like he usually does.

“Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell  _me_?” he says, and he sees Rin’s smile fade in the corner of his eye, and it’s replaced with a confused frown.

“What are you  _talking_  about?”

“How about you tell me why you’ve been coming home so late every night for the past two weeks, instead of just telling me you ‘went on errands’? Is it really that secret that you can’t even tell your boyfriend?”

Rin actually  _laughs_ , and it pisses Makoto off. “Makoto, don’t tell me you’re suspecting me of—”

“—cheating? Oh, no, why  _would_  I? After all those vague explanations you’ve given me? Of course I wouldn’t.”

Yes, he’s aware he’s one hundred per-cent sarcasm right now, but Makoto can’t bring himself to care. At least he isn’t  _screaming_ , though he isn’t too sure that won’t actually happen if Rin keeps playing this game of his.

“You are,” Rin breathes in disbelief. “You... Makoto, I would  _never_  cheat on you.”

“Then why can’t you tell me what you’re doing all the time that you can’t tell me about?!”

Ah, there it is. The raise of his vocal volume. Well, it was bound to happen, because of  _course_  Rin wouldn’t just give it up.

“Makoto, I—”

“Forget it,” Makoto snaps, and then gets up from the floor. Suddenly he’s not all that hungry anymore. He marches into the bedroom and slams the door shut behind him, immediately diving in under the covers, and not caring about brushing his teeth or taking a shower.

 

* * *

 

Maybe Makoto overreacted. Maybe he’s thinking too much about it, and that what Rin does is normal. That he’s just overreacting because it’s  _Rin_ , and because he has a tendency to shine too bright. To get too far away at times, to lose sight of what’s closest to him when he gets the most passionate about something.

So maybe that’s what this is. He might’ve gotten himself into something that he’s so passionate about that he has trouble putting it into words, that he can’t quite separate himself from it to spend a  _little_  more time with Makoto during what little quality time they have for each other.  _Should_  have.

Once again, Makoto finds himself coming home to an empty apartment when Rin  _should_  be at home. He isn’t even surprised at this anymore, just annoyed that Rin  _keeps_  doing it despite their argument the night before. Like he isn’t even  _sorry_. What’s he doing, dating a guy who won’t even listen to this one, petty little request Makoto has? Is it really too much to ask of Rin, to want him to be home more often? Why can’t he just  _say_  what he’s doing so late every evening?

Rin comes home quite some time after Makoto’s already finished eating and taking care of the dishes. Rin stumbles in through the door, once  _again_  out of breath. Must’ve realised he stayed out a  _little_  too long, and then felt the need to run? Makoto holds back a snort as he discreetly regards his so-called boyfriend walking inside.

“I know I’m... late again,” Rin says, “but I... have a reason.”

“Oh,  _really_ ”, Makoto drawls. “I’m so curious.”

Rin sits down in front of him on the floor, not even bothering to put a pillow underneath him, and he scrambles through his pocket. When he pulls his hand out again, he’s holding a box. A black, small, pretty elegant box. And Makoto’s heart stops beating.

“Marry me,” Rin says before opening the box, still trying to level his breathing. “Please.”

Makoto stares dumbfounded at the silver ring in the little box Rin holds in front of him, and he doesn’t know what to say. He feels happy, confused, angry and guilty... it’s a very weird mix of feelings, to say the least.

“Well?” Rin asks, suddenly looking very insecure. “Say something?”

“I— Rin, I’m—”

Tears form in the corners of his eyes, and when his breath hitches in his throat, they fall. Within seconds, Makoto’s full-out crying, and Rin looks like he’s just drowned fourteen kittens.

“Makoto, please don’t cry. If you don’t want to, it’s fine, I didn’t know—”

“I  _do_  want to marry you,” Makoto sobs. “I just... I’m so sorry I said those things. And thought you were cheating on me.”

Rin laughs a little, scratching his earlobe in embarrassment. “Yeah, I... I understand you. And I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to know why I was working late. I mean, we both know I make very little money. And so I took on longer shifts so I could afford this. So I could marry you.”

Makoto puts his hand over his mouth because he’s smiling so wide he feels like he’s going to physically break. “I don’t deserve you, Rin.”

“Shut up, that’s my line,” Rin grumbles. “So you... you’re saying yes?”

“Yes!” Makoto laughs, and Rin immediately smiles, too. He puts the ring on Makoto’s left ring finger, and then he pulls him into an embrace. It doesn’t take long before the two fall down onto the floor, and then they’re both crying  _and_  laughing.

“I love you, Rin,” Makoto says, and wipes away a tear from Rin’s cheek.

“I know, dummy. I love you, too. Man... we’re getting  _married_.”

“We are.”

They may both have issues to work on, still, but Makoto’s glad they’ll at least be working on them together. As married, even. It doesn’t really sink in for him until they’re telling his family about this, in their living room, when the twins get up and start jumping about in excitement, his mother crying tears of happiness and his father just sitting there, looking absolutely stumped, but still happy. Happy for them.

That’s when it hits him. They’re getting  _married_.


	109. SouHaru #57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: sousuke has a little bit of pudge in his abdomen and haru likes to squeeze/grope/jiggle it and the only way sousuke can make haru stop is by pinning him down and kissing him until haru gets just as flustered as him <3**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

It starts as just a finger poking him in the side, and Sousuke barely even twitches. He isn’t ticklish, by any means (which had greatly disappointed Haruka at one point), but he knows what’s coming, and  _that_  is what makes him uncomfortable.

“Stop it,” he mutters, but Haruka doesn’t stop. His poking turns into playful, soft pinches at his sides, on his stomach, straight up squeezes... He knows why Haruka’s doing this, but he’s still not quite there yet. Not completely okay with why things are the way they are with his body these days.

And how could he? He used to have a near-perfect swimmer’s body, with muscles that rivalled most people of his age. But then it came down to  _this_. As if life hasn’t given him enough lemons yet. Maybe this is the entire lemon tree, then.

The lemon tree manifests itself as ten extra pounds he’s gained since he graduated from high school and stopped swimming, stopped working out in general, since the mere idea of working out immediately led his thoughts to his shoulder. And he obviously can't do much with that thing anymore. Added on top of Rin having abandoned him, and parents who don’t really give two shits about him... it’s the icing on the cake, really.

Haruka gently squeezes at the fat on his stomach, and Sousuke sighs exasperatedly before he straddles his boyfriend and starts peppering him with kisses. He holds Haruka’s wrists up by his head so that he can’t reach down to continue squeezing Sousuke, and eventually, Haruka stops squirming about, and just melts into the kissing.

Sousuke loosens his grip, and Haruka instead puts his arms around Sousuke’s neck, his sigh muffled and lost somewhere in their kiss, between their lips. When they pull away, they’re both slightly out of breath, flustered, and Sousuke feels his boxers straining a bit around his crotch. Bad timing.

He lies down on his back again, putting his hands behind his head, and Haruka rests his head on Sousuke’s chest. He notices Haruka’s cheeks have turned a light pink colour, and he holds back a laugh at that.

“Sousuke,” Haruka mumbles, “I don’t really care about that stuff, you know. And I don’t think you should, either.”

“It’s a little difficult to just  _not_  care. And  _not_  think about it when you do those things.”

Haruka traces a finger along Sousuke’s chest, and hums. “I do it because I don’t want you to think so negatively of it. It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t change who you are as a person. I don’t see you differently, and I don’t think others do, either.”

“Well,  _others_  don’t really lie in bed with me like you do every night. And they don’t see... this.”

“If you  _really_  hate it so much, we can start working out together. If you want, that is. I can be your coach. A really mean one, too.”

Sousuke snorts. “Wouldn’t change much, then.”

Haruka lightly punches him in the side. “I’m serious. If it makes you feel better, we can do that.”

He’s wanted to get back into the swing of things, to start working out again to at least  _try_  to achieve a body shape similar to the one he had in high school. Sure, it won’t be exactly the same since he can’t swim anymore, but at least he could get close. It’s just the whole gym aspect of things he despises and has been avoiding for a while.

“What do you suggest, jogging?”

“Sure,” Haruka replies with a shrug. “Outdoor exercises could be good.”

Sousuke has to admit that it’s a good idea. He’d hate having to stay confined inside of a gym whenever he has to get a workout, and at least being outside wouldn’t eat away at his motivation as fast.

“And if we go swimming, we’re not doing it for a race. Simple exercises for your shoulder,” Haruka continues with a warning tone, and Sousuke sighs irritably.

“I know that.”

“And I’m changing your diet. At least for a bit. If you really want to get back to the way your body used to look like, you can’t keep eating pork chops. Those literally  _drip_  with fat,” Haruka says, and when Sousuke looks down at him, he sees his boyfriend wrinkle his nose in disgust.

“You’re gonna be  _such_  a pain in the ass,” Sousuke says, but the complaining tone in his voice isn’t sincere.

“I should be, if you really want this.”

“I do.”

“Good.”

Sousuke lets out a sigh through his nose, and puts his arms around his boyfriend. “Haruka.”

“Mmm.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah.”


	110. MakoRin #29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: MakoRin Drabble wherein they are celebrating their child's birthday--- I think Makoto and Rin would be the type to pull themed birthday parties for their kids.**
> 
> Asked by: [kowaii-kurooneko](http://kowaii-kurooneko.tumblr.com).

Makoto looks over in amusement at the meticulous notes Rin has in front of him on their kitchen table. He’s been tempted to say ‘it’s just a birthday party’ for god knows how long, and he’s very much getting close to blurting it out. They’ve been at this for nearly  _two hours_  now; this isn’t normal. Even for a soon-to-be five year old’s birthday party.

“Should we do differently coloured bags for the sweets? Like, some with licorice, some without? What about games? I don’t wanna do a piñata again, you remember what happened to that vase last year. Mum was  _not_  happy. Also—”

“Rin,” Makoto finally says, sighing. “It’s just a birthday party. We don’t have to do super extravagant things, really.”

Rin, of course, looks at Makoto like he’s just offended Rin’s entire bloodline. “Are you  _kidding_? She’s turning five, Makoto. That’s a big deal.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” Makoto replies, “but I still think you’re thinking far too much about it. How about just having a theme? That way, we don’t have to think of too many  _different_  things. How about spring themed, since it’s in March? Bright colours. Every bag of sweets is a different colour. We give licorice to those who want it.”

Rin’s eyes widen, and then he’s smiling widely. “You’re a goddamn  _genius_. Okay.” He tears the page off his notepad — thank  _god —_ and starts over. “Spring themed. Colours. Yeah, sounds good. Satsuki’s gonna  _love_  it.”

Makoto smiles, too, and leans back in his chair. “I know.”

 

* * *

 

This is probably the most amount of people they’ve ever had in the house, and together with Gou, they’re the only adults around. Gou had insisted on being there to help them with the party, and Rin suspects it was just because she just loves parties and being around children in general. Not that he can complain; having his sister around  _is_  a big help, and he knows she really loves her niece, too.

“Ah!” Satsuki exclaims as she opens the gift she’s gotten from her aunt. “It’s  _Yumeko-chan_! Papa, look!”

Makoto smiles down at his daughter, looking at the fancy box she’s holding up containing a very elegant porcelain doll from an antique series. Many of the other girls in the room gasp in surprise, some whine in jealousy. It’s going to be an interesting evening, that’s for sure. Rin shoots his sister a grateful smile, and she smiles back.

There are colourful garlands hanging above their fireplace, which Makoto and Satsuki had spent a good hour or so making the day before. The disposable plates are decorated with flowers, and of course, Satsuki’s dressed to fit the theme. Her dress is one she’d gotten from Rin and Gou’s mother; a white dress that goes almost all the way down to her feet, with lavender flower prints at the bottom.

They had Haruka bake Satsuki’s birthday cake, which has five birthday candles on top, and the two kanji for her name written in the middle, using edible colouring pens. Sadly, Haruka hadn’t been able to attend since he’s still at work, but he’d at least sent her a birthday gift.

“Is this from uncle Haruka?” Satsuki asks when she picks up one of the few remaining gifts. Makoto nods.

“It is. He said he’s sorry he can’t be here now, but he’ll come by tomorrow.”

Satsuki smiles widely. “Okay!”

Neither Rin or Makoto are surprised when they see Satsuki pull out a dolphin plush out of the rather large box. It has a pink bow tied around its neck, and Makoto has to admit that it looks kind of cute. While the dolphin in itself wasn’t much of a surprise, the bow most certainly was.

“That one’s probably gonna rival the teddy you got her two years ago,” Rin murmurs to Makoto by his side. “I think she’s going to start sleeping with that thing from now on.”

Makoto laughs. “That’s fine. I’m just glad she likes it. Haru will be, too.”

Rin snorts, and crosses his arms across his chest. “This is plan. He’s taking our daughter from us. We must flee Iwatobi.”

“Don’t be silly,” Makoto says and bumps his shoulder against Rin’s. “I’m just glad they get along so well.”

Of course, Rin is, too. Seeing his friends and family interact with Satsuki always makes his heart feel like it’s growing three sizes. He remembers back when he and Makoto had yet to tell their families about the two of them dating, and now they’re here. Celebrating their daughter’s fifth birthday with her kindergarten friends, and with Gou.

 

* * *

 

With Satsuki in bed after a pretty long evening, and having cleaned up the aftermath together with Gou, the two husbands can finally relax, and go to bed themselves. Rin lies down on his back with a long sigh, closing his eyes. The bed dips under the added weight of Makoto, who soon joins him, too.

“That didn’t turn out as bad, after all,” he says, and Rin feels Makoto press a kiss to his temple. He opens his eyes again, and frowns.

“I never thought it was going to be  _bad_ , I just wanted her to have a great birthday.”

“And she did. I think you underestimate not only her, but yourself, too. She would’ve liked whatever we did for her birthday party.”

“But I didn’t want it to be just ‘whatever’,” Rin stubbornly argues, and Makoto rolls his eyes with a smile.

“I know. But aren’t you happy with the way things turned out?”

Rin puts his hand on the back of Makoto’s head, and pulls him close for a proper kiss. “I am. Of  _course_  I am. And... thanks for stopping me before I went completely overboard. That would’ve been bad.”

Makoto laughs, shaking his head. “It would have. Now let’s go to sleep, we both have to be up early.”

"Oh god,  _reality_ ,” Rin says with disgust, and Makoto playfully punches him in the side.


	111. MakoRei #20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Fake dating**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

As the captain of his team, Makoto would of course be expected to keep an eye on his fellow members. Not just on their progress in regards to swimming, but how they’re doing otherwise, too. If their grades were to falter, something would have to be done either on the studying or the swimming front.

In Rei’s case, the studying part was something Makoto never really had to worry about. Rei is a hard worker; he has good grades in pretty much all subjects, stays on top of his studies, and keeps a good balance between studies and swim practice. But there’s just something about him recently that makes Makoto wonder if maybe things  _aren’t_  so great, after all.

He approaches Rei one afternoon when practice has finished, and they’re about to go their separate ways, having told Haruka to go on ahead.

“Rei, can I talk to you?” he asks, which causes both Rei and Nagisa to look at him with curiosity and confusion.

“Yes, of course. Nagisa-kun, I will see you tomorrow. Sorry that I can’t walk with you today.”

Nagisa shakes his head and grins. “It’s fine. See you both tomorrow!”

He disappears, and Rei looks at Makoto with what almost looks like nervousness. Ah, this is one of the many things Makoto hates about the whole senpai-kouhai thing. Rei has  _always_  been adamant about adding the -senpai honorific to his and Haruka’s names, and neither of them are very comfortable with it, though they have yet to voice their opinions out loud to Rei.

“Is there something wrong?” Rei asks, and Makoto shakes his head.

“It’s not like that. I just… wanted to know something. You seem to have been a bit.. distracted lately. Sad, almost. I don’t know, there’s just… it feels like something’s off. And I’m worried. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry.” He pauses for a second, and then sheepishly adds: “Am I wrong?”

Maybe this is a question he doesn’t have the right to ask. He doesn’t know, but he knows he has to do something about it. Makoto can’t just leave Rei like that, to look so down for most of the time when he doesn’t think others can see. He keeps his appearances up otherwise; during swim practice, when they gather at Haruka’s house for meetings or just to hang out  — he probably does the same thing when he hangs out or studies with Nagisa.

But Makoto’s always had a knack for reading people, for seeing that there’s something beneath the surface, behind the exterior people are trying to keep up. And although he can’t figure out just what that is, he knows there’s something bothering Rei.

“You’re right, Makoto-senpai,” Rei replies slowly, and he lets out a sigh. Is he relieved that someone finally asked? Is he tired of having to answer this question  _again_ , has someone asked him this before? “Something  _has_  been bothering me for a while.”

“Could you… tell me what that is? Of course, you don’t have to, if it’s too personal. I just worry about you, that’s all.”

Rei clenches his hands into fists by his sides, and he frowns, closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath, and then opens his eyes again. “My parents won’t stop bothering me about… about me not dating anyone. They don’t ask every day, but it’s often enough that it has started to drive me insane. They think it would ‘enhance my university experience’, seeing as I apparently do not have problems with balancing my studies with social life.”

“Oh,” Makoto says. Well, this was certainly  _not_  what he had expected. Though, to be fair, he didn’t really know just  _what_  to expect to begin with, so anything would’ve probably come as a surprise to him, anyway. “Well… do you have anyone you like? Anyone you could probably ask out?”

It almost looks like Rei flinches, but it could just be Makoto’s imagination. “I— I don’t. And I’m growing desperate.”

Makoto hums, thinks about the issue for a bit. If he doesn’t have anyone he likes, it’s pretty much impossible for him to date anyone. Forcing oneself into a relationship is never a good idea, either, since it would most definitely end up with them becoming unhappy in said relationship. It’s as bad as bad ideas get, essentially.

“I have an idea,” he says, “and I hope you won’t be too offended by it. It’s just a suggestion, and you can say no if you want to. I just… want to help.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could… pretend to date you. If you want. It would get your parents out of your hair if they found out you’ve found someone, right?”

But then it hits him; what if Rei’s parents aren’t okay with him dating other  _men_? Maybe their definition of dating just includes women? Just because Tokyo’s more accepting towards homosexuality and other sexualities besides heterosexuality, doesn’t mean that wherever Rei came from is the same. Or that his parents are as accepting as Makoto’s are.

Rei’s eyes widen, and Makoto expects to either be yelled at, or for Rei to straight up punch him in the gut. But he’s pleasantly surprised when neither of those happen.

“You would…  _do_  that? For me?”

He blinks in surprise, and then comes back to himself. “Yeah. Yeah, of course! I mean, if it’s just pretend, there’s no harm in it. I just want to help, that’s all. I was just worried that maybe you wouldn’t want to.”

“Oh, I’m honoured, and thankful,” Rei replies, and then he smiles. “This would indeed get my parents to stop hassling me about this issue.”

Makoto chews on his lower lip, wondering if he should ask this or not. Well, he kind of has to, because he knows he’ll otherwise just blurt it out in case he has to talk to Rei’s parents. And  _that_  would be bad. Very bad.

“So… your parents are okay with you dating… er, other guys? I mean, I know you’re studying at university, and you’re pretty much independent now, but—“

“Oh. No, they don’t really care about that stuff.”

“What about kids? Wouldn’t they be saddened by the fact that you wouldn’t be able to give them grandchildren?”

Rei shrugs. “My brother has kids, so they already have grandchildren. They know I prioritise studies and my future career before anything else, so it’s fine. But are you sure about this? You do realise they might want to talk to you, right?”

Makoto laughs. “Yeah. I can handle that, it’s fine. As long as I’m able to help.”

 

* * *

 

It  _is_  awkward at first, he has to admit. Since Rei had told his parents, they told him they’d come visit during autumn break in a few days, so they could meet Makoto in person. And since Makoto has to meet Rei’s parents, he wants them to look like they’re actually dating. So, of course, this requires... exercise.

“This feels a little weird,” Makoto confesses, laughing a little as he rests his chin on top of Rei’s head. Rei shifts a little, and then he pulls away, pouting.

“You agreed to this,” he reminds Makoto, who keeps smiling, and shakes his head.

“I know. I think we’ll do fine. I mean, it’s not like they’re gonna expect us to make out in front of them... right?”

Rei snorts. “Of course not. That’s indecent.”

“Alright, just asking.”

They’d done a bunch of quizzing; asking each other about their favourite hobbies and pastimes, various things about their childhood, likes and dislikes... It isn’t as if they’re strangers, no — but Makoto and Rei haven’t really spent time together just the two of them, even if they  _are_  on the same team. Usually when they hang out, both Haruka and Nagisa are there, too, so there isn’t much time for them to ask these specific questions to each other.

Rei’s parents arrive in Tokyo, and Makoto and Rei prepare for them to come over to Rei’s apartment. Makoto’s been here a few times before, but not  _too_  many, and it still feels a little odd to be here. Especially without the others. But it’s also kind of exciting, strangely enough. He sits down on the couch like he’d been instructed to, and waits for Rei to return from the kitchen.

The apartment very much mirrors Rei’s personality. It’s clean, the décor is simple but still beautiful, nothing really stands out. It’s almost cute, Makoto finds, and wonders when on earth he started to associate Rei with the word cute. Or... well, things belonging to him. (Maybe Rei, too.)

When Rei comes back out, his doorbell rings, and Makoto follows him out to greet their (their?) guests. What follows is something Makoto  _definitely_  hadn’t expected, as he’s met with two very excitable, charismatic people who introduce themselves to him as Rei’s mother and father. He, of course, introduces himself as Tachibana Makoto, Rei’s boyfriend. He just hopes that the ‘boyfriend’ part didn’t come out as stuttered as he feels like it did.

Basically, what Makoto learns in the time he spends getting to know Rei’s parents, is that he worried for nothing. Mostly, at least. They aren’t exactly  _roasting_  him; they’re just curious to get to know him, and just how he and Rei started dating. Which was easy for them to come up with, really, since they  _are_  on the same swim team, after all.

Two hours and a lot of talking later, Rei’s parents excuse themselves and tell Rei they want to see him tomorrow again before they leave town. Rei says goodbye to his parents, and then closes the door behind them. When he’s made sure it’s closed and locked properly, Rei lets out a long sigh.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Makoto says, smiling a little. “I was nervous, though.”

“Yeah, me too. It went okay. Thank you, Makoto-senpai. I think I’m off the hook now. And... sorry for dragging you into all of this to begin with. I am pretty sure that they won’t want to check up on me continuously to make sure I am still dating you, however, so there is really no need for us to keep up with the act anymore.”

“Oh. Right,” Makoto replies slowly. He’s surprised at how this actually saddens him, how they won’t be doing this anymore after today. This was what Rei had wanted from the beginning; to have someone act as his boyfriend so his parents would stop bugging him about dating someone. He’d achieved what he sought out from the beginning, and now their agreement can come to an end.

But Makoto doesn’t want this to end. He wants to actually date Rei, but for real, this time. He’s found himself in these past few days growing to like Rei as much more than just a friend, and feels like they could actually work out as  a couple. Well, that is if Rei would want that, too, of course. Which he honestly doesn’t know — what if Rei doesn’t return his feelings?

“There’s... something I want to ask.”

Rei raises his eyebrows, looking surprised. “Yes?”

“Well... could I... call you sometime? Maybe, like, take you out on a real date? Only if you want to! I was just wondering, really.”

A few seconds of silence pass between them, and Makoto wonders if it was such a good idea to ask, after all. Maybe Rei has feelings for someone else, and this fake dating thing had served as a distraction from those feelings, as well as a way to fend off his parents?

“Really?” Rei asks, his voice low. “Do you... want that?”

“Yes? I wouldn’t have asked otherwise,” Makoto says, laughing a little. “So?”

“Oh. Then yes. yes, I would love that.”

“How about this weekend? Seeing as we don’t have any classes this week, and all. We could go out for dinner... or something.”

Suddenly he’s  _very_  nervous, and his heartbeat has sped up quite a bit. Makoto swallows hard, tries to calm himself down. Of course, it doesn’t really work, because the way Rei’s looking at him right now makes him think Rei knows exactly what’s going on. Like he can  _hear_  Makoto’s loud heartbeat.

“That sounds great. I... I look forward to it.”

Makoto’s eyes widen, and then he exhales a sigh in relief. “I’m glad.”

When he’s about to leave and is literally standing right by the door, Makoto hesitates. He doesn’t want to leave, but it’s late, and it’s gotten dark out a long time ago. Rei probably doesn’t want him to stay all night, either, so he should just leave Rei to himself now that they’ve spent pretty much all day together.

“I’ll call you,” he says, and Rei nods.

“Okay.”

He still hesitates. Shifts his weight from one foot to another, chews on the inside of his cheek. But then he just throws all of his inhibitions out the window, and steps forward to pull Rei in for a kiss. He might as well do that now, or he’ll probably implode sooner or later. Rei, thankfully, doesn’t reject him, and just melts into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s neck. Makoto finds it strangely adorable that Rei has to stand on his toes to reach up to kiss Makoto, but he tilts his head down a little to make it easier for Rei.

When he pulls apart, he notices a faint shade of pink colour Rei’s cheeks, and he smiles. “See you soon.”

“Yes. Good night, Makoto-senpai.”

Makoto feels like he’s pretty much levitating all the way home to his own apartment building, and even when he’s in bed several hours later, he finds himself still smiling to himself.


	112. SouHaru #58

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Rin and Sou share an apartment and Sou tells Rin he and Haru are dating but Rin doesn't believe him. Rin comes home one day to find Sou and Haru having at it on the couch and is shocked af.**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“So, listen,” Sousuke begins, clearing his throat. He’s been meaning to say this for a while; hasn’t known just how, hasn’t found the right time. And probably a few other excuses, too. Because this is Rin he’s going to talk to, and Rin is his best friend. How would he react? “I have something to talk to you about.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Rin doesn’t really seem all that interested, but Sousuke knows that, once he starts to talk, Rin  _will_  listen, even if he might not look like he’s actively listening. So Sousuke takes a leap out into the unknown, preparing himself by taking a deep breath.

“I’m dating Haruka.”

Rin actually looks at him, and he raises an eyebrow. “You what? ‘Haruka’?”

“I’m dating him. Haruka. We’ve been dating for a while now, I’ve just… wondered how to tell you. But I did now, so… yeah. Now I’ve told you.” He hesitates a little before he continues. “Are you mad?”

The reaction he receives is one Sousuke would never have even thought could be a possibility, and he’s absolutely baffled when Rin  _laughs_  at him.

“You? Dating  _Haru_? Does that guy even date people, isn’t he in a relationship with water?”

Sousuke sighs. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“Hell no,” Rin says, still laughing. “Sorry, Sousuke, but I won’t fall for that one. I’m not that dumb; you’ve managed to trick me several times before, but not this time. This is just… too unlikely. And fucking hilarious. Wow. Good one, Sou.”

The one time Sousuke actually wants Rin to believe him, and it doesn’t happen. Well, he certainly got to experience ‘the boy who cried wolf’ first hand, that’s for sure. How he’s going to properly convince Rin that he  _is_  dating Haruka is beyond him.

… Or maybe not. He just wonders if Haruka would be as keen on the idea as he is.

 

* * *

 

Sousuke feels like he could fall asleep like this; Haruka lazily raking his fingers through his hair, his head resting in Haruka’s lap. It’d be bad if he  _were_  to fall asleep right now, though, since they have yet to eat dinner, even, and he definitely doesn’t want to screw up his sleep schedule again to the point where he wakes up and is fully awake and energised at three in the morning.

“Hey, Haruka,” he mumbles, and Haruka’s fingers slow down.

“Mmm?”

“I told Rin. About us.”

“Okay.” As always not fazed in the least bit. Sousuke could tell him they were the only two left on this planet, and Haruka’s reaction would probably be very similar to the one he just had.

“He didn’t believe me.”

Haruka snorts. “Are you sure he understood what you meant? Not just that we buried the hatchet, but that we’re dating?”

“I told him straight up that we’re dating, Haruka. I couldn’t have been more obvious than that.”

“Huh.”

“So, I was thinking. Maybe we can prove it to him.”

When he looks up to see Haruka’s reaction, he’s met by the deadpan, capital T and D. Like he wants to tell Sousuke this is the worst idea he’s ever had, but Haruka just doesn’t have the energy to tell him. Or he just doesn’t want to waste said energy on saying it.

But then he speaks up, and Sousuke finds himself being surprised  _again_. “Okay. At your place, I’m guessing.”

“Yeah,” Sousuke says, and tries to  _not_  sound like he hadn’t been expecting that. “You for it?”

“I am. Tonight?”

Wow, he  _really_  wants to show Rin, doesn’t he? Sousuke can’t help the grin that spreads across his entire face. “Sure. The sooner the better.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke’s eyebrows skyrocket, and his eyes widen in surprise when he’s thrown down onto the couch, and Haruka straddles him. He lets out a hiss when he feels their cocks rub against each other, and he sees that it doesn’t go unnoticed by Haruka, either.

“What’re you doing?” he asks, but Haruka isn’t going to dignify him with a verbal response. Instead, Haruka scoots forward along Sousuke’s thighs, and lifts himself up, takes Sousuke’s cock in hand, and slowly,  _slowly_  sinks down on it.

Sousuke nearly bites his tongue with just how fucking  _good_  it feels, and he would’ve loved to scream his head off if it weren’t for the fact that his and Rin’s neighbours might be home right now. And some of them are  _really_  whiny. He just doesn’t feel like arguing with them tonight.

Haruka places his hands on Sousuke’s chest as he sets his pace; Sousuke’s own thrusts adjusted to him not too long after. He places his hands on Haruka’s hips, keeps him there, keeps him steady. Haruka leans forward, moans in a complaining manner when Sousuke’s cock slides out a little, but he continues anyway, and captures Sousuke’s lips in a kiss before pulling back and going back to shamelessly fuck Sousuke like it might just be the last thing he does.

“Oh my  _god_ , Haruka,” Sousuke gasps, his grip on Haruka tightening. Haruka only responds by fucking him harder, making Sousuke have to release one of his hands from Haruka’s hips and bite down on his knuckles in an effort to muffle at least most of his moans.

"Sousuke,” Haruka grunts, “I’m close. I don’t wanna come before Rin—”

As if on cue, the door to the apartment unlocks, and while Haruka flinches in surprise at the sudden sound of the key turning in the lock, Sousuke just grins. He thrusts up into Haruka, who throws his head back and gasps in response.

“I’m home— what the  _fuck_?!” Rin yells as soon as he walks in. One of the many advantages of having sex in the living room; the apartment’s so small that the living room is the first thing you see upon walking in. Perfect in this situation. Neither of them really pay any attention to Rin, and Haruka’s back to his old deadpan self.

“Sousuke, you feel so good,” he says in the flattest voice he could’ve ever used, and Sousuke can’t help but snort out a laugh. He finally turns to Rin, and shoots him a wide smile.

“Hey, Rin”, he says casually, as if Haruka  _isn’t_  sitting on top of him, riding him relentlessly and chasing his orgasm. Not to mention completely naked, too. “Welcome back.”

“You’re having  _sex_  on our  _couch_?!”

“ _That’s_  what he reacts to,” Haruka snorts. “Good to see you have your priorities sorted, Rin.”

“Well, we could move, if you want. A bed sounds nice right about now.”

“Sousuke, what the fuck—”

“Oh, how rude of me,” Sousuke interrupts, and he rolls his eyes. “Maybe you’d want to join us?”

“ _Hell_  no! Stop having sex on our couch and go do that somewhere else! Preferably not in this apartment. Jesus. You’re gonna have to pay to have this couch cleaned, Sou. Disgusting.”

“Hey, before you leave, I had something to ask. Do you believe me now? The whole thing about me dating Haruka?”

“Yes! God, okay, I get the point. I believe you. I give you five minutes to get dressed or I’m kicking your ass out on the street, Sou.”

Rin disappears into his bedroom, and Sousuke erupts in loud laughter, which is abruptly cut off by Haruka, as he ruts down on Sousuke’s dick, hard. He still hasn’t gotten to come, and of course, neither has Sousuke. They make quick, and slightly aggressive, work of it, and when they’re done, they get dressed and move into Sousuke’s bedroom instead.

Sousuke pulls his shirt on, and Haruka lies down on his bed with a long sigh. He shoots Haruka a look, and grins.

“Well, that worked out. Guess he’s learnt to believe what I tell him, huh.”

“Don’t abuse that, though,” Haruka warns. “I’m not doing this with you again just to prove a point. We could have sex for better reasons. Or no reasons at all. This was just dumb.”

Sousuke blows a raspberry. “Yeah, like you  _didn’t_  enjoy ‘sticking it to the man’, proving Rin wrong.”

Haruka doesn’t reply, but Sousuke knows his boyfriend well enough to know Haruka  _did_  enjoy that. And there’s no way Haruka would turn down the opportunity to have sex to prove a point, he knows that, too.


	113. SouHaru #59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Makoto's against Haruka's relationship with Sousuke, and he tries to tell Haru that he's too good for ssk since he thinks ssk is mean, but then haru gets upset and storms off angrily and then makoto goes by later to apologise, but walks in and sees ssk and haru cuddling with ssk mumbling sweet things to him and mako immediately changes his mind about them**
> 
> Asked by: Anonymous

“Sorry for intruding.”

Haruka rolls his eyes. “Would you stop that? You practically live here.”

Makoto grins sheepishly, and sits down on the opposite side of Haruka by the kotatsu in the living room. “Bad habit.”

Shrugging, Haruka returns his attention to his phone, where he has a text message from Sousuke on his screen. He can’t help the way the corners of his lips turn up as he reads it; how Sousuke managed to do this to Haruka is way beyond him, but he finds himself not really minding it.

“Yamazaki-kun again, huh?”

Haruka looks up. “Yeah.”

“Are you happy with… with him?”

“Well, yes,” Haruka replies, raising an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be with him otherwise.”

Makoto shifts awkwardly where he sits, and he begins fidgeting with his hands. Haruka knows where this is going, and he stifles a sigh. This is  _just_  like high school all over again; people nagging him nearly to death about his future, his dreams, what he wants to do with his life, if he’s going to continue swimming… He knows what Makoto wants to say is going to bear many similarities to their conversation back then.

“I was just wondering, since you two haven’t always gotten along.”

“People change, Makoto.”

“I know, I know, it’s just… I haven’t seen it myself, so I don’t know.”

“So go see it for yourself then, who’s stopping you? Why are you so against this?”

Makoto frowns. “I’m not saying I’m against it, I’m just worried about you, and want you to make the right choices.”

“So you’re saying Sousuke isn’t the right choice, basically.”

“Again, no, that isn’t what I’m saying—”

“You don’t have to  _say_  it,” Haruka spits out, his patience quickly running out. “I can tell that it’s what you want to say. I know you, Makoto.”

They’ve done this before; had this conversation, fought about the same stupid thing. Makoto needs to let Haruka do  what he wants. If he fucks up, then so what? That’s for  _him_  to take care of, not Makoto. He knows Makoto’s motherly instinct probably comes from him having to take care of his siblings a lot when they were still young, but Haruka never needed that. Him growing up without parents around probably should’ve been enough proof to Makoto, but it’s very apparent that it just  _wasn’t_  enough.

“You can’t blame me for being worried, Haru,” Makoto retorts. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“What are you going to do if I  _do_  get hurt? Say ‘I told you so’? Laugh at me, tell me I had it coming? Let me make my mistakes if that’s what they end up as. Right now, I don’t think Sousuke will end up becoming a mistake. If  _you_  do, that’s your problem. Don’t you  _dare_ try and persuade me into leaving him, it’s not going to work.”

"Haru—”

“No”, Haruka cuts him off. “I’m not listening to this.”

And so he promptly gets up from the floor, walks out into the hallway to put his shoes on, and walk out the door of his own house, leaving Makoto behind.

 

* * *

 

Haruka’s mind is elsewhere as he walks with long, fast strides towards Sousuke’s apartment building. He doesn’t really see where he’s going, but his feet carry him the right way despite that. He’s walked this path so many times before that he could very well walk there with his eyes closed.

Maybe that’s what this is; him walking to Sousuke’s place with his eyes closed, just relying on his body’s memory of the path to Sousuke’s. At least that’s what it feels like. His body feels numb, but he can tell by just looking down at his hands that he’s shaking despite the still warm summer weather.

Five minutes after he ‘stormed out’ of his house, Haruka rings on Sousuke’s doorbell. He doesn’t even know if Sousuke’s home; he might be out, maybe hanging out with Rin or something. Of course he can’t expect Sousuke to be there for him when he decides to just come over without giving his boyfriend at least a few minutes notice.

But the door  _does_  open, and when Haruka sees Sousuke, he barely has time to think before he jumps straight into Sousuke’s arms.

“Haruka? Hey, what’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

He buries his face into the fabric of Sousuke’s shirt, squints his eyes shut, tightens his embrace. He hears Sousuke sigh, and the next thing he knows, he’s being carried inside, hearing the door lock behind them.

Sousuke sits down, and then cups Haruka’s face in his hands and pulls him back a little. “What’s going on?”

Haruka looks down, suddenly feels… nervous? No, that isn’t it. Guilty? Maybe, he doesn’t know. “I had a fight. With Makoto.”

“Again?”

Haruka manages a snort. “You sound like we fight all the time like you and Rin do.”

Sousuke laughs a little, shakes his head. “I mean… this looks pretty much like what you described your first fight with him to have been like. You ran off now, too, didn’t you?” The lack of a response from Haruka has Sousuke sighing. “Well, I’m not surprised; you’re still as bad as ever when it comes to confrontations. So? What happened?”

Haruka doesn’t want to tell Sousuke what his fight with Makoto was about, because he doesn’t want Sousuke to know Makoto doubts him. Makoto always keeps up appearances around Sousuke, always smiles, speaks in a polite way, asks questions and at least  _pretends_  to listen to what Sousuke responds with. But when Sousuke isn’t around, Haruka knows just what Makoto thinks of Sousuke, and that isn’t something he really wants Sousuke to know.

To say that it’s difficult knowing his best friend is suspicious of his boyfriend is a vast understatement, and the mere thought of simply putting it that way makes Haruka want to snort.

In the end, he decides he can’t keep things from Sousuke forever, because there will most definitely come a time when Makoto can’t hide what he truly feels for Sousuke, in front of him. And so maybe it’s better if Haruka tells him now, in preparation, so that he knows when it  _does_  come.

“Makoto’s… worried about me,” he mumbles. “He thinks you’re going to hurt me.”

Sousuke’s eyes widen. “What, he thinks I’m going to  _hit_  you? Is this because of that one time in high school?”

“I think so. It’s… very easy for him to get hung up on things like that.”

“You don’t say,” Sousuke replies sarcastically. “Jeez, it’s like  _he’s_  the overprotective boyfriend. I should be jealous.”

Haruka lets out a shaky breath, and he realises he’s just about to crumble. All of the pent up frustration over Makoto’s disapproval and constant judging of Sousuke has taken a toll on him, having to be the one to listen to all of that. Of course Makoto would tell  _him_ ; there’s no way he’d be able to talk about Sousuke like this with Rin, who’s his best friend. Maybe being Sousuke’s boyfriend makes that easier, somehow.

“I’m just tired”, Haruka says. “I don’t want to have to choose, but Makoto’s making it difficult.”

Sousuke presses a kiss to Haruka’s forehead, lets out a long exhale through his nose. “I’m fine with it. I’ll just keep trying to prove to him that I  _do_  deserve you. Because you’ve told me that so many times you actually made me think so, too. And I want him to be of the same opinion, since you  _are_  best friends. And I… well, I wanna be friends with Tachibana, too.”

Haruka squints his eyes shut again, wills away the tears that burn behind his eyelids. He doesn’t know what to say in response, so he chooses silence instead, but Sousuke seems to understand, thankfully. The two sit in silence for a bit; Sousuke’s arms still around Haruka whilst Haruka stays in his lap. He just about manages to calm himself down when the doorbell rings, and Sousuke looks to the door.

“Should probably get that. I’ll be back in a sec.”

Sousuke trudges out into the hallway, and Haruka leans against the back of the couch with a sigh. He doesn’t  _want_  to react this way, but he can’t help it. The fact that Makoto doesn’t approve of Sousuke and keeps trying to not-so-subtly persuading Haruka into ‘rethinking’ his choice of boyfriend, hits him harder than he would’ve expected it to before any of this even happened.

He doesn’t hear what’s going on out in the hallway, but Sousuke soon returns, and sits down, his arm finding its way around Haruka’s shoulders again.

“Don’t freak out,” Sousuke says, “but Tachibana’s here.”

Haruka winces, and his first instinct is to either lock himself in Sousuke’s bedroom or jump out the window. Anything to avoid meeting Makoto right now, even if it might result in a broken leg. He thinks it might actually be worth it.

“Why?”

“No idea. He told me he wanted to talk to the both us, and I said I wanted him to give me a minute to talk to you first. Prepare you, or whatever. Stop you from running away again.”

Haruka rolls his eyes, but his emotions don’t really mirror his exterior. Sousuke puts a finger under Haruka’s chin, pulls him close. Lets their noses brush against each other, and then puts their foreheads together.

“I love you,” he says. “Nothing’s gonna change that. Not even Tachibana.”

Sighing, Haruka relents. “I love you, too.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat makes Haruka pull apart from Sousuke, and when he turns his head, he sees Makoto in front of them. He frowns, and Makoto looks like he wants to avert his gaze and escape, but he at least  _tries_  to look determined.

“I wanted to apologise. To the both of you.”

Sousuke comes to sit down on the couch again, and pulls Haruka’s head to his good shoulder. “I talked to him for a bit. He seems serious,” he mumbles, and Haruka rolls his eyes.

“Okay,” Haruka replies, and leaves it at that. Makoto shifts his weight from one foot to another, and clears his throat.

“It was wrong of me to be so doubting of Yamazaki-kun when I barely even know him. And I know that I tend to get stuck on certain things... I guess that’s what happened here. I want to... start over. But before that... I’m sorry. Both of you, I’m really sorry.”

Haruka has to admit Makoto  _does_  look regretful of what he’s done. Of course, Haruka knows he won’t be able to stay mad at Makoto for long. They’ve been through too much for that, and he finds holding grudges to be a waste of energy, anyway. So he sighs, and shakes his head.

“It’s okay.”

“Yeah,” Sousuke agrees. “I’m just glad you’re willing to give me a chance.”

Makoto smiles a little, a soft look in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have judged you so quickly, Yamazaki-kun. It’s... pretty obvious how much you love him. And vice versa.”

Haruka frowns at that, but Makoto laughs. The air around them feels a little easier to breathe, and he feels himself relax in Sousuke’s embrace. Sousuke gestures for Makoto to sit down, and the three talk for a bit. While it  _is_  awkward at first, it’s still a good start. Or restart, rather.


	114. SouHaru #60

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: Imagine a college AU where Sousuke suddenly gets put into a project with Haru, who is known to be the nerdiest guy ever, wearing a big ugly sweater and glass with a pair of super thick lenses in them everyday. Obviously, Sousuke was doomed to find out that there's actually a striking hot guy under that sweater and his thick glasses once he removes them at his house.**
> 
> Asked by: [mackervel](http://mackervel.tumblr.com) ([AO3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/baenase)).

He’s sat next to the guy a few times in lectures, and they’re in the same seminars, too. Sousuke’s just never really  _talked_  to this Nanase person, and maybe the reason is obvious. The guy’s a nerd, to put it bluntly, and Sousuke doesn’t really consider himself one of them, no matter what his best friend may call him every now and then.

Fate seems to have a few things in store for him as he’s lumped together with Nanase for a psychology assignment. He stares at the e-mail from his professor in disbelief, and then leans back in his chair, tilts his head back and lets out a groan. Great, it’s going to be him and the nerd in one ‘group’ together, which is more of a duo than anything, really. This is going to be absolutely wonderful, he can already tell.

**YOU** :  _Library after the social selves lecture? Or do you have other plans?_

_To go home and read manga?_  Sousuke thinks to himself as he sends of the message. He’d forced himself to ask Nanase for his number after the seminar the other day to make things easier between them. It’s just for this project, anyway; he doubts they’ll ever really talk again afterwards.

Rin had laughed at him when he revealed his partner for this assignment on empiricism, and it was obviously to be expected. Rin’s never  _seen_  Nanase before, but Sousuke’s probably very colourful descriptions are most definitely enough for one to get the gist of him. Or so Sousuke thinks.

He receives a response in under two minutes, and it’s a surprisingly short one.

**NANASE, HARUKA** :  _That’s fine with me_.

 

Sousuke shrugs to himself, and sits up properly in his chair to stretch his back. He tries to think positively about how this is going to go, but it’s still a little difficult. Maybe he  _does_  have to get to know the guy a little better, after all.

Their ‘meeting’ at the library mostly consists of looking for material in the books provided by said library, and looking through articles on Google Scholar. Sousuke doesn’t really know what to talk about  _besides_  what they’re studying, and it becomes a struggle really fast as they’re mostly immersed in their individual research. He frantically scrambles through his brain to try and find a subject, but his mouth has a mind of its own and acts before he has a chance to think.

“Did you do any extracurricular activities in high school, Nanase?”

He curses himself internally and clenches a fist, just knowing he’s going to get a deadpan look as a response — apparently the guy’s pretty known for those — but what he  _does_  get in response is far beyond anything he could’ve ever expected.

“I did,” Nanase says and looks up from his screen. “Swimming. You?”

Sousuke drops his jaw. “No fucking kidding, so did I! What’d you swim?”

_Hang on a fucking second. This guy’s a swimmer?_  Sousuke wants to snort at the thought. This guy, wearing glasses with thick, black frames like those hipster kids he sees far too often — this is Tokyo, after all — and the glass in them is thicker than the drink glasses he has in his kitchen. How the hell did a guy like that swim if his eyesight is piss poor?

“Freestyle,” Nanase replies. “You?”

“Butterfly, but I did freestyle every now and then, too. Huh, that’s weird. Maybe we raced each other at some point.”

Nanase shrugs. “That’s possible, yeah.”

Sousuke returns his attention to the laptop in front of him, and he frowns. Okay, so his image of Nanase might be crumbling, but just a little. It’s just a  _little_  distorted, and maybe he feels a  _little_  bad about having been almost prejudice just because of the way this guy looks. People always tell you to not judge a book by its cover, and Sousuke’s slowly learning this for himself. Better late than never, right?

About two hours later, the two have made a bunch of notes and sorted out the information they’d gathered which they deemed relevant for their joint essay, and they decide to call it a day. Sousuke packs his laptop back into his bag, along with the papers he’s scribbled down a bunch of notes on, and then swings the strap of said bag over his shoulder.

“See you on Wednesday, then,” he says, and Nanase nods.

He bites down on his lower lip in hesitation. This might be a bad idea, but he’s growing more and more intrigued by his partner for this project that he just wouldn’t be able to let it go. So he takes a deep breath and braces himself for the reaction and response.

“Hey, would you, er… wanna hang out? Sometime? I dunno, we could play video games or something. If you’re into that.”

He hates how clumsy he’s suddenly gotten, but thankfully Nanase doesn’t seem to either notice or want to remark on it.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

The two decide to meet this weekend at Sousuke’s place. He’d asked if it was okay or if maybe Nanase wanted for them to be at his place, but he apparently lives with someone else, and the way he said how he ‘didn’t want them to be disturbed by others’ made Sousuke’s brain nearly short-circuit, but he later figured it probably didn’t mean what he think it did.

 

* * *

 

Nanase arrives that Saturday around seven, and they order pizza not too long after they’ve settled in the living room. Sousuke tries to  _not_  look as disgusted as he actually is when Nanase tells him what he wants on his pizza; even more so when he has to tell the guy on the phone what his guest wants. Mackerel  _and_  pineapple? If there was an eighth deadly sin, this would most definitely be it.

During the evening, Sousuke finds out Nanase is absolutely shit at Mario Kart, but he’s surprisingly good at FPS games. He definitely doesn’t look the type, of course, with those big glasses and the oversized sweater he wears, but again, that’s just Sousuke and his assumptions he really shouldn’t be making. They’re completely blown to smithereens this evening, however, and Sousuke wonders if he got  _anything_  right about the guy from the get-go.

Sousuke lurches forward and stares at the screen in shock and offence. “That was  _not_  fair, you fucking cheater!”

Nanase snorts. “It was absolutely fair. You were completely open, Yamazaki.”

Sousuke huffs and sits back against the couch again, his pout probably making him look like a petulant five year old kid, but he honestly doesn’t care. He’s always been the best out of his friends at this game; always beat Rin whenever they played over at his house when they were in high school. To think that Nanase would be able to beat him like it was  _nothing_  just makes Sousuke wonder how good he really is at this game. And if he’s bad, what does that make his friends who always lose to him?

They play a few more rounds, but then Nanase gets bored and Sousuke gets so frustrated that he doesn’t mind them not playing anymore. He crosses his arms over his chest, and he’s still very much pouting.

“I feel emasculated,” he mutters, and Nanase  _laughs_. Sousuke’s heart skips a beat, and he hates that it does.

“I’m sorry I beat you at your favourite game. I can make it up to you.”

Sousuke turns to him and raises an eyebrow with a little smile. “How?”

Nanase shrugs. “Come up with anything you want. I’m all ears. Just don’t make me run around your house naked or anything, that’s too much effort.”

Sousuke scoots closer and leans towards Nanasse, so close that their faces are mere inches apart by this point, and he slowly brings his hands up to Nanase’ face.

“I have an idea,” he murmurs. “Tell me if you don’t like it.”

He slowly removes Nanase’s glasses — something he’s been wanting to do for a while now — and is nearly floored by just how beautiful Nanase’s eyes are. They’re usually not that easy to notice since his glasses obscure them with how distracting they are, and Sousuke just can’t help but blatantly stare.

“Oh,” he breathes, and Nanase frowns.

“What?”

“Nothing. Do you want me to stop?”

“I don’t,” Nanase replies, and leans towards Sousuke to close the distance between them.

Nanase’s lips are soft against his, and Sousuke quickly melts into the kiss. He immediately disregards the thought that he had  _never_  expected someone like this guy to be so good at kissing, because up until this point, all of his assumptions have been dead wrong, and he doesn’t want to keep the trend going.

He isn’t surprised, but just completely taken away, by Nanase’s muscular upper body which up until just a few seconds ago had been hidden underneath a Radiohead t-shirt and a big, dark grey sweater. Sousuke lets his fingers trace the lines of his abs, and Nanase lets him. He gently pushes Nanase down onto his couch, and his fingers are replaced by his lips, exploring every single millimetre of Nanase’s upper body while Nanase’s fingers roam through his hair.

Sousuke ends up giving Nanase a blowjob right there on his couch, and when he’s done, Nanase, of course, wants to return the favour, and Sousuke can’t do anything but relent. If there’s anything he’s learnt about Nanase Haruka tonight, it’s that he’s  _stubborn_ , more so than anyone he’s ever met before. Not that he  _minds_  getting sucked off, of course, but it’s the principle of it all.

“So much for video games and pizza,” Sousuke comments, and Nanase laughs, wrapped in his arms.

“This whole thing was your idea, don’t blame me.”

Sousuke smiles. “I won’t.”

He looks over at the coffee table next to him and remembers something he’d wanted to ask when he removed them in the first place. “Can you see without your glasses, by the way?”

Nanase scoffs. “Well, of course. They’re mostly for decoration, really. Just reading glasses, but they’re not that strong.”

“You’re basically a hipster but with slightly poor eyesight.”

“I wouldn’t say hipster, but the eyesight thing is correct.”

Sousuke flicks Nanase on the forehead, and earns a glare in response. “ _Totally_  a hipster.”


	115. SouHaru #61 (#60 continuation)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **PROMPT: **[Chapter 114](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4191630/chapters/11938850) continuation.****
> 
> Requested by: [ziffi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ziffi).

Sousuke nibbles on the tip of his pen, frowning, and then he releases a frustrated huff. He feels like he must’ve left his concentration at home, because it just isn’t  _there_  today, and he’s unable to pick up on anything his professor talks about during this lecture. He switches slides too quickly for Sousuke to be able to even jot down a few notes, so he gives up early on.

Instead, he finds himself occasionally, or more often than just ‘occasionally’, glancing over to where Nanase sits. The text he’d received from Nanase not too long ago still sticks stubbornly to the back of his mind, and is most definitely guilty for at least part of his inability to concentrate right now.

“ _Re-match at my place tonight? I know you’re not the type of person to accept defeat._ ”

Is it  _that_  obvious? Is he so transparent that someone like Nanase, whom he still barely even knows, is able to tell that he hates losing and won’t just let it be if he does get beaten in something? No one but him and Rin know just how many times they’ve played rock-paper-scissors over the smallest, most trivial things. Not to mention who got to sleep on the bottom bunk in high school, and who got the last Cola can that one time.

Somehow, he makes it through that lecture, and nearly topples over his own feet on his way out of the lecture theatre. Thankfully, it’s the last one of that day, so all he can do now is just meet up with Nanase and head over to his place.

Once he’d agreed to it, Nanase told him to meet outside the main building, and they’d take the short walk over to Nanase’s apartment together. Maybe he’s overly paranoid, but he feels like if people spot them walking together, they’ll just  _know_  what’s on his mind. Maybe all Nanase really wants  _is_  a re-match in that game Sousuke’s  _supposed_  to be really good at, but for some reason is absolutely terrible at when he plays against Nanase.

So the guy probably really  _does_  live up to his nerdy appearance, and is almost scarily good at video games. Not that it’s going to scare Sousuke away, of course, because now he knows he finally has a worthy opponent, unlike in the past where it required minimal effort on his behalf to defeat others in the same game.

The two meet up outside the main building’s entrance, and Sousuke follows Nanase over to his apartment. He’s surprised to know Nanase doesn’t actually live in any of the university’s halls of residence, and wants to know how the hell this guy can afford to live independently. Because it can’t be cheap, that’s for sure. Where Sousuke lives right now is  _just_  within his budget, and then he still has to share a bathroom with four other guys.

Nanase’s apartment isn’t too far from campus, and it’s located on the second floor of a regular looking apartment complex with exterior corridors and a generally much older population than the one that lives where Sousuke lives. Which is probably to be expected since not a lot of students would be able to afford living like this, even if it  _is_  considered a regular apartment.

Sousuke excuses himself as Nanase lets him in, and Nanase snorts in response.

“I’ve never been a stickler for things like those, and I’m even more surprised  _you_  are,” he says, and Sousuke glares at him.

“Well, sor- _ry_  for wanting to be a decent guest and not just barge in.”

“I invited you, so you’re not really barging in, you know.”

Sousuke huffs, but doesn’t say anything else. He takes his shoes off, and then Nanase shows him into the living room where he sits down on the couch in front of the TV while Nanase disappears into the kitchen for a bit. He’d been told to make himself at home — and Nanase said he  _wasn’t_  a stickler for things like those — but Sousuke can’t help but feel like he’s an alien having just crash-landed down onto Earth in this apartment.

"Here.” Nanase returns and hands Sousuke a can of Cola — how’d he  _know_? — and sets down a bottle of water for himself. Sousuke frowns at the simple choice of beverage, but doesn’t comment on it as Nanase goes up to turn on his TV and console. It surprises Sousuke so much that he raises his eyebrows, and when Nanase turns around, he notices it. “What?”

Sousuke averts his gaze. “It’s nothing.”

And here he thought the whole ‘re-match’ thing was just Nanase’s way of inviting Sousuke over for sex. Well, so much for once again assuming things.

Nanase shrugs, and brings back two controllers, one for Sousuke, and then he sits down. “Best out of three.”

“Okay.” And then what? The winner has to get something, right? If he were to make another assumption, Sousuke guesses Nanase would give him a pat on the back if he won. And probably demand something ridiculous if he were to win himself. Which probably wouldn’t be sex, but again — he doesn’t want to make any assumptions, so he refrains. Or at least tries to refrain from it.

Nanase scoots up  _right_  next to him, and leans close. “The loser has to bottom.”

Sousuke swallows hard, resisting the urge to raise a fist into the air in a victory pose. “We’re having sex?”

Nanase snorts, and rolls his eyes. “What'd you think I had you come all the way over here for? Just for video games?”

“No offence, but you look like the kinda person to do that.”

“Seems I have yet to prove to you not to judge people by their looks,” Nanase hums, and Sousuke yanks him close to kiss him. Nanase’s faster, however, and puts an index finger in between their lips. “Not yet.”

Sousuke hisses in disappointment and frustration, but pulls away regardless, and Nanase starts up the video game Sousuke has to get revenge in. Not that he minds bottoming, of course (sometimes he prefers it just because it means less effort on his part), but  _winning_  would be nice. Regardless of what the prize would be, Sousuke still wants to be able to say he finally beat Nanase.

 

* * *

 

He stares at the screen in disbelief, and Nanase leans back, stretching his upper body with a yawn. “Well, a promise is a promise. Bedroom?”

Sousuke nearly chokes on his own saliva, and turns to look at Nanase in disbelief. “Way to cut to the chase. You okay with it, though?”

Nanase shrugs. “Why shouldn’t I be? It was my suggestion, and I have to own up to it even though I lost. So. Come on.”

He finds it  _incredibly_  attractive how assertive Nanase is, and of course, follows him without saying anything else. He still can’t believe he actually managed to beat Nanase this time with how great of a loss he’d suffered last time. He knows it was mostly just dumb luck, and that if he were to do this again, he probably wouldn’t get as lucky.

Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised at just how willing and strangely  _obedient_  Nanase is, as he lets Sousuke take command and do pretty much whatever he pleases. So in return, Sousuke makes sure his hands, his fingers, and his general movements are gentle. Nanase responds to him in such a way that it makes him want to hurry the whole thing up so he can fuck this guy into the mattress already, but he knows he has to be patient.

"Yamazaki,” Nanase complains, “I'm gonna kill you if you’re making me come with just your fingers. Get on with it.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Wow, Nanase, talk about impatient.”

“No kidding; I’ve wanted you to fuck me for  _days_.”

Sousuke raises his eyebrows at that. “Really. So I wasn’t the only one having dirty fantasies about the other guy, huh.”

But he relents and pulls out his fingers, and Nanase hands him a bunch of napkins from the box on his night-stand as if he’s  _used_  to doing this every other day or even more often than that. Considering the way he seems so sure in everything, even being in a compromising situation as in him getting fingered.

Well, it might not  _be_  such a compromising situation slash position for Nanase — Sousuke’s learnt by now that him assuming things only ends up in him being dead wrong. Nanase could probably flip things around if he wanted to, but for now, it seems like he’s leaving Sousuke in control.

Having discarded the condom wrapper somewhere to his side, Sousuke places his hands on Nanase’s thighs, and as if it’d been a silent command by him, Nanase spreads his legs even more, allowing Sousuke easier access. He enters Nanase slowly with a dragged out moan, and he lets his eyes flutter shut as he holds onto Nanase’s hips with both hands.

It doesn’t last very long, however, because after a few tentative thrusts and having  _finally_  gotten started, Nanase taps on his arm, and Sousuke opens his eyes.

“What?”

“I wanna try a different position.”

He blinks a few times in confusion. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

Nanase smiles coyly. “Let me ride you.”

“What?!”

“I  _said_ , let me—”

“I know what you said!” Sousuke replies a little louder than he intended. “Are you serious?”

Nanase looks at him like his nose just grew a third nostril. “Yes? Why not?”

Again, while he  _does_  find Nanase being assertive and taking control every now and then, he isn’t used to it, and as such is very taken aback with the entire situation. Not that he can complain, of course.

With a little effort, the two get into Nanase’s desired position, with Sousuke half sitting up against the headboard. Nanase sinks down onto Sousuke’s cock and lets out a hiss in pleasure. Sousuke can’t help but snort; he’s only halfway down.

“Ever heard the saying how you shouldn’t start the car before you’ve inserted the key?”

Nanase glares at him, and Sousuke stifles a laugh. “You’re bigger than I expected.”

“That a bad thing?”

“Oh no, rather the opposite. Big dick, big mouth. It matches so well."

Sousuke lets out an ironic ‘ha-ha’, and gives an experimental thrust that makes Nanase gasp, which is the exact reaction he was after, and the sensation combined with just how fucking  _sexy_  Nanase both looks and sounds where he sits on top of Sousuke sends a jolt through his body straight down to his cock, and he growls before continuing to thrust up into Nanase whilst holding him down by his hips.

"Oh my  _god_ , Yamazaki,” Nanase exclaims as he throws his head back. Sousuke takes the opportunity to kiss the exposed skin on his neck, but he doesn’t lose his momentum and keeps going to make sure they both get what they’re after.

He notices when Nanase gets close, since his own thrusts have gotten irregular and his breathing is heavy and slightly ragged. Sousuke uses a little more force, feeling two different kinds of tingly feelings creeping up on him. One of them is his oncoming orgasm, and the other is in his thighs from where Nanase is sitting, and one of them, he’s okay with.

 

* * *

 

“I really hope you didn’t lose on purpose. That’d be the shittiest thing you could do, Nanase.”

They’re lying on their backs and trying to get down from their post-sex high. Sousuke stares up the ceiling, having finally realised he just had sex with the ‘nerd’ from his group he not too long ago snorted upon just  _seeing_. Well, without the oversized sweaters and huge glasses, Nanase’s a  _completely_  different person. And the fact that it’s just them probably makes a difference, too.

Nanase rolls his eyes and lets out a little laugh. “No, but if we do this again, I might actually do that. Besides, it allows me to conserve energy.”

“Fuck you,” Sousuke growls, and Nanase grins at him.

“Please do.”

And Sousuke’s pretty sure they’ll probably have another rematch very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the last prompt, at least for now, and for this particular fic! I might pick these up again someday, but it'll be done in a separate thing since I don't want this one to end up having 200+ chapters. That'd be a little too much, in my opinion.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who sent in a request, to those of you who read if even just _one_ of these, to people who commented and gave kudos. Thank you. ❤


End file.
